Dance Lessons 2
by LoveToRead404
Summary: Okay, this is the sequel to my story "Dance Lessons". In this the girls have moved on but, what happens when the members from their favorite band, who also happen to be their ex-boyfriends, come back? Will Maya ever forgive Michael? Will Luke and Riley get back together? What will happen to Gloria and Calum? How will Sarah react to Ash when he comes back? Read to find out!
1. Starting Back

**_Hey Guys! Told you I would post it soon! ;) Now, this is kinda short but at least it's a start! :) I hope you guys like it. If you want me to continue, let me know in the reviews! Until, maybe, next time..._**

 ** _~LoveToRead404_**

* * *

 _"Isn't this what you wanted Maya?!" he shouted at Maya._

Maya could feel the tears running in trails down her face as she woke up crying yet again. It happened almost every night now. Looking at her clock she saw that it was around twelve o' clock. Another sleepless night. As she got up to go to the bathroom and wash her face, she saw the letter sitting there on her dresser and a whole new set of tears started. Sarah and Gloria, who were now living with Riley and Maya, along with Riley had all thrown away their letters by now.

They had all agreed to keep the sweatshirts, though. Which was good considering that Michael's sweatshirt was what Maya fell asleep in every night, crying to herself as she read his goodbye letter _. " But it's okay",_ she tells herself," _this is normal"_. She knows it's a lie, all the other had moved on after a month or two, yet here Maya was, still broken hearted after six months. She didn't know why she held on to him, he had left her, but she just couldn't help herself. She turned around from the sink and stumbled toward her bed before falling back into her haunted dreams.

Michael was excited. It had been six months since he had seen Maya. He had wanted to call or email, but never got the chance. None of them had had the chance to make any kind of contact with their girls. They had been so busy with the tour, trying to finish it as soon as possible. But here they were, driving back to New York after their final concert in California. He started to call and tell her but, thought it would be a better surprise. He didn't care, as long as he got to see her again.


	2. Helping Maya or What's Wrong With Luke

_**Okay, I have come to a decision about updating. On this story, I will be updating every Monday (unless life has other plans lol). That way, everyone has a chance to read the latest chapter, new readers can catch up and I will have time to write longer chapters for you guys to read and enjoy! :) Plus, It helps to have SOMETHING good to get you through the horrible thing called Monday lol!**_

 _ **Alright, so I got four reviews last time. I will respond to them real quick and then I will get on with the chapter!**_

 _ **CrazedAndConfusedFor5SOS:**_ Please, please please continue this story. The first part of Dance Lessons was great and it would be even greater if this was continued. Until next time.

 _ **Reply: Oh cool! The whole "Until next time" thing is catching on! Haha! And yes, I will be continueing the story. I'm happy to hear that you enjoyed the first "Dance Lessons"!**_

 _ **Gmworld:**_ I love that maya is the most affected because it perfectly makes sense. She had to face so many peopl leaving her so she would hurt the most.

 _ **Reply: Yeah, right?! That's what I was thinking!**_

 _ **ILoveFanFiction0924:**_ PLEASE CONTINUE! I love your story, you made me fall inn love with 5sos too, can I suggest that when Michael and Maya see each other, she runs away? Mayael is my life in this story. Continue, you are a great writer. 3

 _ **Reply: I am so glad you love my stories! And I'm happy that I made you fall in love with 5SOS. Their a great band! Also, I REALLY like that idea. I might have to put that in here! :)**_

 ** _Angel1D98:_** It is soooo cute that Michael wants to see Maya again but sad that Maya still did not move on

 _ **Reply: True, but don't worry! It will add to the story later on and you'll see why I did it! :)**_

 _ **Okie dokie, that's all the reviews! But one more thing before you go. I'm thinking about how I want to respond to you guys reviews and I was wondering what you thought about only replying to guests on here, and I'll PM my responses to members. What do you think? Should I do it that way or just keep on with this? Let me know! Until next time...**_

 _ **~LoveToRead404**_

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"Maya, come on! You have to get out of bed!" Riley shouted from the other side of the door.

"I don't wanna!" She got back a childish pouting voice.

Sighing, Riley felt above the door for the hidden key. Using it to open the door, she carefully walked in. It was kind of hard to believe the sight in front of her. Six months ago, her friend had been so happy. She was doing what she loved, painting, for a living. She had met a great guy and was really happy with him. But then, Michael and the other guys had left and something inside of Maya broke. Riley missed her old friend and while she understood that it takes time to move on, but this was getting rather ridiculous.

"Maya, please. My boss said that if you don't come back and finish your mural, he's going to find someone else to paint over it. Come on, I need you." Riley tried.

Maya didn't respond. Instead, she curled into a tighter ball underneath the covers. That was not a good idea. Seeing her friend wasting her life away over some guy that left six months ago was pissing Riley off, big time. She had lost Luke, she knew it was hard but her friend seriously needed to move on!

"Maya, if you don't get up this instant, I am going to go find my sewing kit, take out a needle, and poke you in the butt with it! Now GET UP!" she shouted.

Maya groaned before turning over and pulling the covers away from her face. "Riley, GET OUT!" she shouted before pulling the covers back over her head and once more turning to the wall.

Riley felt tears prickling the backs of her eyes. Six months ago, her friend never would have treated her like this. As she walked out of the room, she paused. If Maya wouldn't or couldn't get over her break up herself, Riley was going to make her. One way or another, she was going to fix her friend...Once she figured out how to do that. For now, getting her out of bed would have to be good enough. So, where had she put that sewing kit of hers?

"Dude, what's wrong?" Calum asked Luke as he walked to the back of the RV. His friend had been hogging the bed area in the back all day and he wanted to know why. Mostly so he could get fix whatever it was and make Luke move so he could get some sleep, but he didn't think his friend needed to know that.

" It's R-" Calum heard the R and jumped in.

"Riley? Dude, don't freak. Alright? She's going to be off the wall excited to see you again!" He grinned, but his grin faltered when Luke didn't look any happier. In fact, he looked even more upset now. _"Great"_ Calum thought _"Now I'm never going to get sleep"_. He sighed, giving in, and sat next to Luke.

" Okay. Explain" he said.

" It's Riley's facebook. You know how I check it out every once in a while" Luke started.

" If you mean you obsess over everything she posts, then yes. I believe I do."

" Yeah well, the past month or so, she's been posting a lot of pictures with her and this _guy_ " Luke said. Calum would've laughed at how disgusted Luke sounded when he said 'guy' if not for the fact that he could see just how much this upset his friend.

Of course, then Luke showed him the pictures and his heart nearly broke for him. The pictures were all of Riley and Lucas, the guy that had punched the crap out of Luke when they had first met the girls. He looked over at his friend and saw the hurt, sadness and rage taking turns flashing across his face. This had to suck but, Calum had no clue what to do to help his friend. What could you do to help someone who had just found out that the girl he loved more than anything, the girl he had risked his career for, was done with him and had moved on with some other guy? Calum's heart sank, what if Gloria had also moved on? What if she no longer wanted or needed him? Suddenly, he knew all too well how his friend must feel. And dag, it sucked.

Riley was celebrating a small victory as she walked back to Maya's room. She had found the perfect needle. Now she just had to gather the courage to do what needed to be done. Taking a deep breath and holding it in, she walked to the bed and stuck the needle right on Maya's Butt cheek.

"Ahh!" Her friend screamed, jumping up and flying out of the bed.

Riley took this moment of disorientation to try and escape with her life and she ran. It did not work. She simply had not moved fast enough because as she ran toward the door, she got tackled from behind. Landing hard on the floor, she felt the air whooshing out of her lungs. Yeah, she was dead.

"Why the heck did you do that?!" Maya screamed in her ear.

" It was the only way!" Riley got out before her face was pushed into the carpet. She made a mental note that carpet tasted horrible.

" The only way t what?! Anger the crap out of me?!" Maya shouted, her anger rushing through her.

"The only way to get you out of that dag on bed! The only way-" And then there was carpet in her mouth again. Riley groaned, this was totally not a fair fight!

" If I want to sleep in, then you let me sleep in! You don't stab me in the butt with a needle!"

Riley pushed against Maya's hand and came up for air. " All you've done the last six months is sleep and sulk!" She yelled.

Maya tried to push her down again but now Riley's anger was fully on. Pushing with all her strength, Riley managed to get Maya off of her before she turned and pinned Maya to the ground, holding her firmly in place.

" Ever since he left, all you do is sleep and sulk! You _barely_ eat, you _never_ go out and you sure as Hades haven't even _tried_ to move on!" Riley yelled. At the pure mention of _him,_ Maya shut down. She thrashed, trying to pull away. Trying to run so that she wouldn't have to face the truth. So that she wouldn't have to admit that yet another person had left her. She wouldn't because, she simply couldn't.

Seeing the brokenness in Maya's eyes, Riley softened her tone." Maya, I know it's hard. We all know" She explained, as their two other apartment buddies walked to the doorway. " We all lost one of them. We know it's hard but, you have to move on. Let me, let _us_ , help you. _Please_ , Maya. I'm _begging_ you. I can't stand not having my real best friend around"

As Maya looked up, she saw the girl pinning her down was near tears. She may be heartbroken, she may be broken period, but that wasn't an excuse for her to cause her friend pain. "I'm sorry" Maya whispered, reaching up to hug Riley. The others rushed to join the hug. They sat there, for lord only knows how long, just hugging and being there for each other. No one spoke, they didn't need to. They understood that sometimes, the best way to be there for someone, is to just be there with them.


	3. Doubts From Ash or Is Maya Really Better

_**Okay, so I'm not gonna lie. This chapter gets kind of emotional so, don't say I didn't warn you!**_

 _ **Anyway, before I get to the reviews, I wanted to let you guys know that the guys will be coming back soon. I know some of you are probably getting impatient but, I promise I will have them arrive in New York soon!**_

 _ **Review Time!**_

 _ **CrazedandConfusedfor5SOS said:**_ I can't wait for Ch. 2. Literally every time you post I drop whatever Fanfiction I'm currently reading and start reading what you post. Until next time. . .

 _ **Reply: Haha! Here it is! Chapter 2! And thank you for reading what I post, along with reviewing! It means a lot to hear that you stop reading other fanfics just to read what I posted. :)**_

 _ **Gmworld said:**_ I found the needle part hilarious. I feel you shoul continue posting the comments and replying to them. It's a nice interaction. I hope that the boys realize what they're missing out on.

 _ **Reply: Yeah, I was hoping that people would get a good laugh out of that! And I think your right, I like posting the reviews on here! Plus, yeah, I think they are starting to realize just how much they are missing...**_

 _ **Alright, that's all the reviews! I'll let you get to the chapter! Hope you enjoy it and review! :) Until next time...**_

 _ **~LoveToRead404**_

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Ashton was panicking. He was totally freaking out! He hadn't heard from Sarah in over a month. A whole month! Something had to be wrong. They had agreed to keep in touch but if she had stopped writing, calling _and_ emailing all together, what did that mean?! See, unlike the others he had wanted to play it safe with Sarah. He liked her way to much to risk their relationship by leaving without keeping in touch. But a while back, her letters stopped. Then her emails, plus she stopped taking his calls. What if she had moved on?! He knew that was what had Luke so upset the past couple days. Riley had moved on with that Lucas dude. If Sarah took a page from Riley's book, though, and moved on from Ashton, he didn't think he could handle that! She was his! Not some other guy's who thought he could just swoop in and steal her heart! At least, that's what Ashton thought. Maybe it wasn't that simple, though. Maybe Sarah _had_ moved on from him. He wasn't sure. He wished he could talk to the guys about it but, they didn't know about all of the secret letters and emails. God, this was getting way too complicated for Ashton. He just wanted to get back to New York, make sure his girl was still _his_ girl and forget about all of this doubt clouding his head.

.

.

Gloria was excited. Maya was out of bed, which meant Riley was happy. And Riley being happy lifted the mood of the entire group. So yeah, Gloria was happy to have Maya back. Although, she could tell that Maya didn't really feel any better, she was faking it for Riley's sake, but as sad as that was, it was still an improvement.

At the moment, they were all getting dressed and getting ready to leave. After their group hug session, Riley had all but demanded that to celebrate getting Maya back, they would all go out for some coffee and breakfast. Then, if Maya was feeling up to it, Riley was apparently going to take Maya to the Dance Studio so that Maya could finish her mural. Gloria may not know Maya as well as Riley, but she was pretty sure that Maya was not going to go back to the studio willingly. That, however, was not to be thought about at the moment. Right now, Gloria was going to finish putting on her makeup, slide on her favorite sun-dress ( her reason for loving summer so very much!) and paste on a bright smile. Today was going to be a good day, she could feel it.

.

.

Maya was miserable. She knew that faking feeling better was making Riley happy and she really did want Riley to be happy but, she was really regretting her choice to fake feeling happy again. Especially since now, Riley was dragging all of them to the coffee shop. And not just any coffee shop. No, it was the one where they all used to hang out at. It was the one where Riley met Luke, which had been the start of their crazy little adventure six months ago.

Maya could feel her anger coming up again, as well as her guilt. She shouldn't be mad at her friend just because Riley was able to move on and Maya wasn't. It wasn't fair, but she just couldn't help it. If Riley had never met Luke, then Maya wouldn't have met Michael and he wouldn't have shattered her heart into a thousand pieces. At the same time though, those few months had been the best of Maya's life.

 _"Don't think about him! Stop!"_ Maya mentally scolded herself as she slipped into the passenger seat of Riley's car. She could feel the tears starting to well up and sucked in a few breaths. _"Don't cry! Please don't cry!"_ She was trying so hard to be happy for Riley, even if she _was_ faking. But she couldn't help the sadness inside of her. It seemed like no matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't stop thinking about him, about why he left. He had said that it wasn't her fault, that he was leaving because of his career. He and the others couldn't stay any longer or else they might jeopardize their careers. Maya could understand that, she just didn't believe it. She just knew that she was the reason he left. She had done something wrong! Or maybe he just got tired of her and needed to get away so that he could be with someone else!

A part of her really hoped that wasn't true. A part of her hoped that he really had left to save his career but, she knew that even if that were the case, he would find someone else anyway. With all those fangirls and other celebrity girls throwing themselves at him, why wouldn't he forget about her. Find someone new, someone better. With this thought, she sent herself over the edge and she could feel the burning tears rolling down her face. _"How could I have been so stupid?! Thinking he actually liked me!"_

She faintly heard Riley saying and then shouting her name, trying to get her attention, trying to get her to calm down. But she couldn't stop the tears. She had held herself together, just barely, for so long. She couldn't do it anymore. She was broken and it was time to accept that. It wasn't Michael's fault, it was hers. She had let herself trust him, let herself fall for him, when she knew that it wouldn't end well. It never did.

.

.

Riley was desperate to stop her friends tears. She kept yelling her name but, she was to afraid to touch Maya. She was scared that if she did, Maya might actually crumble. Her friend looked so fragile. She looked like she was in so much pain, like she was physically hurting from some serious but invisible wound. Suddenly Riley stopped, there was nothing else she could do except let her friend cry.

Sitting there, Riley froze. Before, her friend had just cried but as Riley listened carefully she could hear Maya calling out. If she could just hear what...

"Michael" Maya shouted, crying harder than ever. Her whole body was shaking and Riley was honestly scared for her. She wanted to help but Riley didn't have a clue what she was supposed to do.

Finally Maya started to calm, just a little, and Riley got out and walked around to the passenger side of the car. Opening the door, she stood there and waited for Maya. This time, she would not force her friend, she would not hurt her any further. As Maya looked up at Riley with blood shot eyes and tear stained cheeks, Riley's heart broke. She knew how hard it was to move on. She still missed Luke so much that it hurt. The only reason she was with Lucas was because she couldn't stand being alone anymore. At least, that's what it was at first. At this point though, she didn't know. Had her heart actually moved on, did she have real feelings for Lucas? Or was she still just with him to make herself feel better? She wanted to figure that out, just not right now. Right now, she needed to figure out how she could help the girl in front of her. The one that seemed broken beyond repair.

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 _ **Next chapter we'll see how much impact the guys leaving had on Gloria, Riley and Sarah! Along with some thoughts from the guys about what they regret from six months ago...**_


	4. The Letters or The Guy's Doubts

_**Alright! I'm back with the third chapter and I made it just in time! I was seriously questioning weather or not I would be able to update today but, I did it! Yay! Haha! Okay, so I got two reviews last time:**_

 _ **CrazedAndConfusedFor5SOS said:**_ By thoughts I hope you mean what they put in their letters. I mean they all wrote their own personalized letters to the girls they were with, so each one has to be a little different. Especially with Ashton's, since you said they talked secretly while he was on tour. The suspense till next chapter is killing me.

 _ **Reply:Haha! So, after talking to my close friend Agel1D98 about the letter idea, I decided that I would try it! I will admit, I was nervous but I think it turned out pretty well. I hope you like it!**_

 _ **Gmworld said:**_ Oh Maya. That breakdown was really needed. Can we get a scene where Michael sees her breakdown fully. I want to see guilt pouring out of him. Please update soon.

 _ **Repy: Oh YEA! That would be awesome! I was actually already planning something like that but, you'll have to keep reading to find out what happens! ;)**_

 _ **So, I really liked CrazedAndConfusedFor5SOS's idea about the letters. And although I was quite nervous about doing it, I did talk to Angel1D98 about and with her encouragement, decided to go for it! Plus, I thought that you guys might like to see what exactly these letters contained. Hope you all like it. Don't forget to review at the end and let me know what you think! Until next time...**_

 _ **~LoveToRead404**_

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" I'm so so- *coughing*, sorry Lucas. I really *coughing* want to come but I don't *coughing* want you to get *coughing* whatever sickness I have." Riley rasped.

" Are you sure you can't come babe? I mean, I leave for Texas tomorrow" Lucas asked over the phone.

" I want to *coughing* But I can't. *coughing*" Riley got out.

" Okay... Well, I hope you feel better soon babe. Love you. " Lucas said quietly.

" Love you *coughing* too" Riley got out just before hanging up.

Taking a deep breath, she curled into a ball on her bed. She felt horrible for faking sick, especially since this was Lucas's last night here before going back to Texas for work, but she had had to do it. She needed some space to think everything over.

Her thoughts from earlier were still bothering her so after Maya finally calmed down, They had joined the others for coffee and then came straight back. Tonight, Riley was supposed to meet up with Lucas, but she just couldn't do it. She had dressed up and everything but no matter how badly she wanted to, she just couldn't go meet with Lucas. Not when all she could think about was Luke.

Getting up, she quietly walked over to her dresser and dug around in her drawer. After some searching, she finally found her letter. A reminder of yet another lie. The others, excluding Maya, had all thrown away their letters. But seeing as it was the only thing of Luke's other than an old sweatshirt that she had left, she hadn't been able to just throw it out. Instead, she hid it. Opening it up, she could already feel the tears coming forward. She pushed through though, and started to reread the letter for possibly the hundredth time.

 _My dearest Riley,_

 _I am so sorry that I am leaving you like this. It is very hard for me to say goodbye to anyone, but I am finding it extra hard when it comes to you. I thought, doing it this way would be the easiest way. Before I say goodbye though, I have a few things to say._

 _I wanted to tell you that meeting you has been the absolute best thing to happen to me. I remember it so clearly. Seeing you in the coffee shop, I thought you were so gorgeous. And when you smiled at me! I about lost it and kissed you right there! Didn't think you'd appreciate that, though. But God, you we so amazing. The more time we spent together, the more I fell for you. I couldn't help myself. You were always so kind and loyal to the people you loved. I found that I desperately wanted to be one of those people._

 _I was so nervous to ask you out... And you did not help with your hesitation to answer! But then, you smiled that beautiful smile and said yes. I was so happy. So happy that I could say that you were mine. It still makes me smile just thinking about it. You made me so happy Riley, you still do. And over time, I couldn't quite help myself from feeling something deeper for you. I know this could possibly be the worst time to finally say it but, Riley Mathews , I have fallen in love with you. I hope you feel the same and I really hope that one day soon, we will meet again. Know this, though, after our tour is over I will do everything in my power to get back to you. I love you._

 _Love,_

 _Luke_

Riley's heart ached. He had been right, that was the worst time possible to tell her that. It made it all the worse that she loved him back, something she was only just admitting now. And as she clutched her letter tight and curled back up in a ball, she felt her tears finally sliding down her face. Her heart hurt and she didn't know how to stop it.

/Gloria/

The letter was glaring at her, begging her to read it. Unknown to the others, Gloria had not thrown out her letter. Another thing they didn't know was that she had also never read it. When she had found it laying on top of Calum's jacket which was folded and laying on the bed, she had been too upset to read it. She had not been able to accept that he was truly gone. As the months had passed though, and she gradually came to accept that she had lost him, she still had not been able to read it.

She had been tempted at times, yes. But she had never opened it or read its contents. Here lately though, Maya's breakdowns had been reminding her of just how badly she missed her own band member. Walking over to her closet, she reached behind a pile of clothes and pulled out the envelope along with the jacket.

Putting the jacket on, she sat on her bed and studied the blank white envelope. She hated the mystery, she really wanted to know what was inside. Maybe it would help her move on. Gathering her courage, she picked away at the seal. Finally getting it open, she pulled out the small piece of paper along with the small ring that was sitting next to it. The ring wasn't anything fancy, a thin silver band and a very small purple diamond. Okay, now she was feeling panicked. What exactly did this paper say?!

She opened it and was surprised to see only three words on its surface:

 _I love you_

She felt like screaming. What was he thinking?! Was this some weird way of proposing?! Or was the ring just some gift that he wanted her to have?! God, that boy was going to drive her to insanity!

/Sarah/

Everyone was asleep, or so Sarah thought. Either way, it didn't matter. An hour ago, they had all went to their rooms and the apartment was now silent. It was perfect, exactly what Sarah needed. All of Maya's craziness had had her thinking about Ash a lot more than usual and she didn't like it. However, it seemed just about impossible to get her stupid brain to focus on something else. Seriously! The whole point of her not writing or talking period to Ash anymore was so that she could try and move on! She even had a new love interest. Granted, they weren't together, yet, but she really liked him. His name was Jay and he was a cute, sweet and funny waiter that she had met at a cafe on her way to work one day. At the moment though, Sarah couldn't think about him. No, for now she needed to see if she could in fact move on from Ash. And what better way to do that than to reread all of their letters from the past six months?

She grabbed the stack of envelopes tied with a ribbon that she had hidden under her bed. She thought it best to start with their very first. The one Ash had left on his bed for her to find. Opening it up, she took a deep breath to calm herself and started to read.

 _Dear Sarah,_

 _All of the others are saying goodbye. They have the idea in their heads that we cannot keep in touch for some reason. I don't think that is right. You are much too precious to me for me to do that to you. No, instead, if you would like, I want to keep in touch while I am gone. I don't care if it is by letter or some other form of communication but, I know that I cannot last without talking to you. I am short on time but, if you too, would like to keep in touch, write me. I promise I will answer if you do. And I really hope to see you again soon. I love you._

 _Love,_

 _Ashton_

She was precious to him. Sarah had forgotten just how sweet Ash could be. Apparently letters brung out his romantic side. Every letter she had from him made her smile as she read it. He always called her precious and beautiful and all kinds of other sweet things. Yeah, so much for moving on with ease...

/Maya/

Maya was laying in her room. The silence was drowning her but the shadows were comforting. She didn't have to worry about people seeing her when it was dark. Sighing, Maya turned on her lamp. Eyes adjusting, she sat up and thought about the day. It seemed Riley was set on helping her, so were the others. The more she thought about it, though, the more she realized that in order for them to help her, they would need to know the full story. They needed to read the letter, needed to know what Michael had said. And she was going to read it to them. That would be her first step to healing.

Getting up, she grabbed her letter and walked to Riley's room. She wasn't sure how this was going to go, if it would even help her at all or hurt her even worse, but she had to try. Knocking softly, she waited for Riley to open.

"Maya! What's wrong?!" the brunette asked in a panic.

Maya smirked. It's pretty bad if your friends automatically think something is wrong if you come out of your room willingly. Then again, with her behavior here lately she couldn't blame Riley.

" I have something that you need to hear. All of you. Can you maybe, gather up the girls and meet me in the living room?" Maya asked shyly.

Riley couldn't answer. Her mouth was too busy forming an O at the moment.

"Hello?" Maya asked, waving her and in front of Riley's face.

"YES! Of course I will call a meeting! Oh my god! Your actually talking to us willingly?!"

"Yeah" Maya paused and then decided to just head to the living room.

One minute after Maya got to the living room she heard an air horn, five minutes later she had three wide awake friends in front of her with their full attention on her. She gulped, her brain thinking two things. One, when did Riley get an air horn? Two, this was going to be harder than she had originally thought.

" Okay, I asked Riley to bring you all here because you said you wanted to help me. I figure that if you're going to do that, you have to know the full story."

The girls puzzled for a moment and then gasped when Maya pulled out her letter. They were all shocked. That letter was never a loud to be read by anyone besides Maya. It was pretty much her deepest and most well kept secret!

"Okay" Maya sighed, before taking a deep breath and starting to read:

 _Dear Maya,_

 _I am not quite sure what to write here. I mean, this is my first time doing this and I am a little nervous. Everyone else is writing their love and saying their goodbyes. I don't know about love. I know that I really care about you and that I also really don't want to say goodbye._

 _I promise that me leaving has nothing to do with you. We all have to leave for the same reason: Our Careers. But, knowing that doesn't make leaving any easier. I know I will miss you and I am really sorry that we did not have more time together. I miss you already._

 _\- Michael_

By the time Maya finished, she was in tears. It was always hard reading this but, with her friends all looking at her with pity she felt even worse. That is, until Riley got up. Walking over to her, Riley threw her arms around Maya and hugged her tight.

"I'm sorry, Maya. We had no idea." She whispered.

" Don't worry, Maya" Sarah started.

" We all love you." finished Gloria.

In that moment, Maya was so happy that she had read them the letter. The girls were right. She didn't need Michael to love her, she had Riley, Gloria and Sarah. The girls who, by now, felt more like her sisters then friends.

/The Guy's RV/

"Group meeting!" Luke called through the RV.

Within minutes, the guys were all together, sitting in their designated chairs.

"Okay guys, we gotta talk." Luke said.

"Yeah, we do!" Calum said.

Everyone looked at him and he spoke up again " You people need to stop hogging the bed! I miss taking my naps!" he pouted.

Luke sighed in frustration. "No, you idiot. That is not what I'm talking about. I wanted to ask all of you about your goodbye letters to the girls."

"What about them?" Michael asked skeptically.

"Did any of you even hint that we would not be going back to New York after our tour was over?" Luke asked.

He got a chorus of No's and Nope's in response and fell into his chair. The girls knew that they would eventually come back and yet Riley was dating some other guy. That hurt, more than he was willing to admit.

" Dude, you can't really blame Riley for moving on. We've been gone for half a year and haven't so much as called. She probably thinks that you've moved on too" Michael reasoned.

"But I haven't!" Luke pouted.

"Well she doesn't know that. Does she?" Michael replied.

"No" Luke mumbled.

" Guys, I have a confession" Ashton spoke up. The worry was written plainly on his face when they looked to him.

"I kept in touch with Sarah!" He rushed out. "I know we agreed that we wouldn't but, I just couldn't risk her moving on from me and starting to date some other dude. I'm sorry"

" Did she say if Riley was absolutely in hate with that Lucas dude?!" Luke asked excitedly.

"Ah...No" Ash said.

"Oh." Luke said, bummed out all over again.

" You didn't tell them we were coming, did you? Cause it was meant to be a surprise!" Michael asked.

" No, the whole thing is, she stopped talking to me about a month ago. I've tried calling, she won't answer. I tried writing, my letters are returned. I'm really freaking out about it! What if she moved on?! Like Riley did!" Ash whined.

" Yeah, I'm kinda scared that Gloria might have moved on from me too. I mean, with Riley and possibly even Sarah moving on, why wouldn't Gloria?" Admitted Calum.

After that, they all just sat there in silence. Each one worried about his girl moving on from him. And for the first time, Michael worried that maybe Maya too, had moved on.

* * *

 _ **Alright! There you go! Now, in the next chapter, I'm thinking that the guys are going to arrive back in New York. Weather or not they will go see the girls right off the bat or not, I have not decided. You'll have to keep reading to find out! ;) Please don't forget to review, I love hearing from you guys! Until next time...**_

 _ **~LoveToRead404**_


	5. The Plan or Maya's Recovery

_**I'm back! And I am very sorry for the wait. I know I said I would update weekly but, some stuff came up and I couldn't . Now, I will try to update weekly from here on out though. So keep that in mind! Anyway, I got three reviews:**_

 _ **Gmworld said:**_ I know I should feel bad for the boys, but they live in the 21st century. They could have kept in touch with the girls. I hope they all see the full effect of one stupid mistake. Please update soon

 _ **Reply: I know right?! They totally should have! And I think as the story goes on, they will realize just how badly they screwed up. :)**_

 _ **CrazedAndConfusedFor5SOS said:**_ Yasssss. OMG. Yes. I'm so glad you decided to put the letters in. That was the best part of the chapter. The one thing I love and hate most about stories. Is miscommunication. And this story has a lot of it. Ugh. The wait for the next chapter is always suspenseful. Why do I feel like when Luke comes back to Riley, Lucas will somehow be there. Whenever Luke comes back. I can't wait to see what goes down

 _ **Reply: I can neither confirm nor deny your theory that Lucas will be there. You'll have to keep reading and see. And I'm very glad you liked the letters. I was kind of nervous about putting them in there but it was a good challenge and I'm glad I did.**_

 _ **AYTChallenge said:**_ This is literally my favourite book on this website! Pls update soon (I don't want to seem pushy), I'm slowly deteriorating without new chapters.

 _ **Reply:Aw!Thank you! That means SO much to hear people say that. Especially since there are so many talented authors on here! And don't worry about being pushy, I like knowing that my readers are looking forward to my updates. It makes me feel good and it makes writing on here so much more fun! :)**_

 _ **Okay, that's all for now! Keep an eye out for my next update. It will either be on Monday or Tuesday. Then again, I may be nice if I get at least three reviews on this and post a chapter on Friday...It's up to you! Thanks for the reviews last chapter and PLEASE remember to review this chapter! Until next time...**_

 _ **~LoveToRead404**_

* * *

"Okay so, what's the plan?" Calum asked as the guys all sat on the RV's bed to discuss the plan. They were about an hour away from the town where Riley, Maya, Sarah and Gloria lived. Now, to say they were nervous wrecks would be a hilarious understatement. It's more like they were scared shitless.

"Well, we can't just go to their apartments and knock on the door like "Oh hey, I know I've been gone for six months and you probably hate me now but, I'm back now! Wanna make out?" Ashton put in.

"That's true, they do probably hate us now..." Luke paused, before continuing "But we could go to that coffee shop place that they all loved and see if can "accidentally" bump into them".

"As much as I love that idea, what makes you think that they even still go there? I mean, if they really do hate us now, then they probably try to avoid anything that reminds them of us. " Michael said.

"Yeah, well, right now we don't have anything else to go on. I mean, Ash was right we can't just show up at their apartments or work places. That would be completely unfair to them. So right now, I think Luke's right. I think the coffee shop is our best bet." Calum told them.

The boys all looked around at each other and nodded in agreement. Next stop, the coffee shop.

/Maya/

It was late, way too late. Maya checked the clock and saw that it read midnight.

"Damn it!" she mumbled. It had been another night of sleeplessness. Getting out of bed, Maya snuck around her room to grab clothes. Once she was dressed, she grabbed her tennis shoes and snuck toward the door of the apartment.

" _Luke_ " She heard Riley mumble sadly as she passed her brunette friends room. Pausing, Maya started to reach for the door and peek in to make sure Riley was okay. When a few seconds of silence passed though, she simply started toward the front door again.

Once out of the apartment, Maya sat down and got her shoes on. If she couldn't sleep, then she might as well _try_ to do something productive. She made no guarantees as to how it would turn out, but Maya had made up her mind. She was going to the Dance Studio for the first time in six months, and she was going to work on her mural.

About thirty minutes and ten arguments with herself later, Maya stood in front of her unfinished mural. She hadn't worked on it since Michael had left. Heck, since he left, she couldn't even bring herself to take a single step inside the studio! Much less, come visit the Mural that was connected to so many memories.

And just like that, the dam broke. Memories from six months back flowed through her mind like an unstoppable flood. Going to the other side of the hallway, she slid down to the floor and hugged her legs. It stung to remember. All the happy and crazy things that happened, she had been so happy back then. Now, it was like she didn't even know how to be happy. _"Stop thinking like that! You have to be happy! Riley and the others need for you to be happy so you have to be happy!"_ she mentally scolded herself. She knew it wasn't completely true. The other girls struggled with broken hearts too, they understood how hard this was for her. And she knew that Riley would never force her to be happy. But she always felt bad because while the other girls were trying so hard to help her, all she seemed capable of doing was crying and having mental breakdowns.

That was going to stop though. Maya had made up her mind that she was moving on with her life. She didn't need a guy to make her happy, especially not a guy that would pretend to love her for a little while and then suddenly leave without even saying a proper goodbye! Yes, it was time to move on. Time to be happy.

With a new determination, Maya stood up and walked to the cans of paint she had brought with her. Grabbing one, she began to work.

/Riley/

"Luke!" Riley shouted as she jolted awake.

She had no clue what was going on. She remembered bits and pieces of the nightmare but not everything. And judging by what she did remember, she wasn't sure she wanted to remember the whole thing. Looking up, she saw Gloria and Sarah rush into her room.

"What's wrong?!" Gloria asked. They both had panicked looks on their faces.

" Nothing, just a bad dream. Sorry" Riley mumbled.

" You wanna talk about it?" Sarah asked.

"Yeah, sometimes that helps." Gloria pitched in.

" Well, it's weird and kind of embarrassing" Riley admitted.

"Oh...Was it about Lucas?" Gloria asked as her and Sarah came to sit on Riley's bed.

Hearing Lucas's name, Riley cringed. That was just one of the many reason the dream had been so wrong. But, she couldn't help it. She didn't know how to stop the dreams and she had no power over them, so what could she do?

" No, it was about...Luke" Riley hesitated. She expected to see disapproval from the other girls, some form of disappointment because of how wrong it was. But instead, all she saw was understanding.

" Okay, what happened?" Sarah asked.

" Well..." Riley hesitated. She wasn't quite sure how to tell them. Or what to tell them and what to leave out.

/Maya/

After an hour of painting like the world was gonna end, Maya finally took a breather. Stepping back, she took in the mural. It was nowhere near done. But, at least she was working on it again. And damn! Did it feel good! She had forgotten how great it felt to just lose herself in her work. She started to go back for more but stopped as she heard her stomach complain. She had been in such a hurry this morning, she had forgotten to eat breakfast.

Cleaning her supplies in the closet down the wall, she closed the closet door and walked toward the front. There was only one place open this early in the morning and she wasn't entirely sure it would be a good idea for her to go there.

She sucked it up though, and walked to the coffee shop. Before walking in though, she froze. So many memories had been made here. She took a few deep breaths and calmed herself down. She was going to have to go back in sooner or later. Might as well face it now, head on.

" Hi! What can I get you?" A girl named Anna asked.

"Um.. I would like a large hot chocolate and a chocolate chip muffin" Maya ordered.

" Ah, okay" Anna typed in her order.

Maya knew the girl must think she's crazy. No other girl would order a chocolate drink and a chocolate muffin at the same time. At least not around here anyway. She didn't really care though. The girl didn't need to know that Maya was nursing a six month old broken heart back to help and that in order to do that she would be needing a _lot_ of both chocolate and ice cream. Yeah, Maya decided, she definitely didn't need to know that.

Grabbing a seat, Maya started to relax. The coffee shop hadn't changed a bit, which was nice. It was also nice to be the only one in here. She took a deep breath and smelled the freshly brewed coffee that sat in the pot behind the counter. She could smell all sorts of muffins and breakfast cakes too. It was very relaxing. That is, it was until the bell on the door rang and interrupted her quiet. Opening her eyes to glare daggers at whoever had interrupted, Maya nearly fell out her chair.

It was _them_! But it couldn't be because they had left! But no, It was definitely them! Panic set in and Maya heart raced, her breathing started to pick up. She had to get out of here. Now!

* * *

 _ **Alright, there you go! Remember to review if you want me to update Friday! Also, I have a story suggestion! One of my readers and friends on here, CrazedAndConfusedFor5SOS, has started writing a story titled " Lost ". I will put the link below and you can copy and paste it in the search bar to read the story. I hope you check it out! And PLEASE review! :)Until next time...  
**_

 _ **~LoveToRead404**_

 _ **The link is: s/12339311/1/Lost**_


	6. Boy Problems

_**Oh wow, I am finally back with a chapter. I meant to post this Friday because I got the three reviews, but I got called into work. Anyway, I 'm back! Now, review time!**_

 _ **Guest said:**_ Okay. I have so many things to say about this chapter. I'll try and make this as understandable as possible. 1. In the guys' point of view I was like every time there's a group of guys trying to undo their wrong there's always one that is actually the smart one. The one that knows how to handle one that came with a plan. . . subconsciously. So, it didn't surprise me that is was Luke. 2. At the very very end of the guys' POV I don't know why but I started laughing when I read "Next stop, the coffee shop". I knew I was gonna fangirl throughout this chapter I just didn'y know that was my first stop. 3. When I started Maya's POV I was like, Come on. She's just starting to heal herself for real this time. She wasn't ready to go into the studio and right when you got her being productive after an hour of working and who knows how long of sobbing you make her go into that coffee shop. It's like out of all the ways to make the girls go into the coffee shop, IT HAD TO BE MAYA. I'm getting the feelings like I did when I saw the ending in Until Dawn where everyone "lives". What did Josh deserve? NOT THAT. I'm feeling like that for Maya. She's not ready. I feel too much to fictional characters. 3. Idk how to thank you after unloading on you like that so, kinda awkward. Well, seeing you post made me drop everything and read your chapter. I muted my TV, stopped reading the Luke fanfiction I was reading on Wattpad to come and read this. I did not expect you to mention my story. I would never in a million years think that would happen. So, thank you from the bottom of my heart for that shoutout. That made my week. Just for that I'm gonna try and post a new chapter.

 _ **Reply: So, 1. I agree, there is always that one guy and out of all four guys, I just pictured Luke being him. 2. I was hoping someone would get a laugh out of that. I thought it would just be a cute little something to throw in there. 3. Yeah, I almost felt bad about doing that to her but, come on, it just makes the story so much more interesting. And who knows, maybe this will help Maya on the road to healing her heart...Maybe. 4. Don't worry about it being awkward. We all have at least one story that we totally lose ourselves over and we can't help but talk about it! I'm just happy that this is one of those stories for you! :)**_

 _ **Gmworld said:**_ Okay, I have a lot to say. So here we go.

1) I just love that Maya is getting back into her art I hope you continue with it, because art is just...Maya.  
2) I hope they will see Maya run out and then realize that they hurt the girls a lot more then they originally thought.  
3) I hope that they collide again with Maya in some of their work. After all in the series Maya was really good at singing.  
4) I hope that either Idea 2 happens or Maya escapes without them noticing her. Then Idea 3 happens.  
5) I need a lot of jealousy from the boys, especially Michael...I need them to suffer before they get back together with the girls.  
6) They all need to end up together.  
7) I'm thinking of more...  
So that's about it I hope you will consider these ideas. I loved this chapter. Please update soon.

 _ **Reply: Okay, so I really like your ideas. Maya will probably stick with the art because when I picture her character, I always see an artistic kinda girl. Of course, I can't say exactly what's going to go down between the guys and their girls but, I will say there will be a LOT of guilt on the guys part, and also probably a LOT of jealousy too! That is, sadly, all I can reveal for now. I hope you keep reading to find out what happens though! ;)**_

 _ **AYTChallenge said:**_ Oh my gosh, I didn't see that one coming! That's what I love about this book, I'm always surprised with every new chapter. Once again, well done. You are the reason why I check this site everyday looking for your updates. Keep doing what you do because you do it very well!

 _ **Reply Oh wow, thank you so much! I'm so glad you love the book, and thank you so much for reading my story and keeping on checking for my updates! :)**_

 _ **Okay guys, that's all for now! I hope you enjoy this chapter and PLEASE remember to review! :) Until next time...**_

 _ **~evergirl2000**_

* * *

As soon as her feet hit the pavement, Maya started running. She didn't know where she was going. She didn't care. She just had to get away from there. She had been so sure that she was ready to move on. But clearly, her brain was not getting with the program because now, apparently she was seeing things. Seeing Michael and the others at the coffee shop ordering and talking. And it couldn't be real, of course it couldn't! They were probably in some other state far away all making out with girls that were perfectly shaped with skinny waists, perfect chests and gods only knew what else!

Tears started to sting her eyes and Maya ran harder, faster. Next thing she knew she was back at the studio, in front of her Mural. " I can't do this" she whispered in the silent hallway. There were no lights on, so it was dark. It was dark and quiet and that was exactly what Maya needed. Some time alone in a dark and quiet place to think about every screwed up detail of her life. Every screwed up detail of how she had let herself fall for Michael, every screwed up detail of how he left, every screwed up detail of the heartbreak rolling threw her body and affecting her brain. An hour later, she was still sitting there with tears strolling down her face and no one around to comfort her, when she heard the front door squeek open. On a normal day, she would have gone to see who it was. Today, however, was not a normal day and with as upset as Maya was at the moment she really couldn't bring herself to give a damn about who it was.

"Maya?" A voice called from the other end of the hallway.

Okay, so she couldn't have given a damn until she heard that voice. A voice that she would recognize anywhere. Looking up, her tears started to come faster. He was running to her, then holding her. It felt so good to be held by him. Until the moment hit that it felt so wrong. He wasn't here, this version of him wasn't real.

"No!" she yelled, pushing against his chest until he let her go.

She stood up and looked at him again before completely losing it. " I can't do this! I am _done_ with these crazy dreams and illusions. You're not here! You left and you aren't coming back! Why can't I just let go of you?! Why can't you just STOP haunting me?!"

He had heartbreak and pain filling his eyes when she looked at him, and for a moment she would have sworn he was real. Shaking her head to get rid of the crazy idea, she ran out.

Once she was a good distance away, she pulled out her phone and dialed a number. After two rings her mom answered.

" Maya?" she heard.

" Mom, can I...Can I come back home for a little while?" Maya asked.

" Of course, baby girl! Is everything okay?" Her mom asked.

" Yeah, I'm going to be fine. I'll see you in a few hours. Love you." Maya hung up.

/Michael/

"What have I done?" was the only thing going through Michaels head. Seeing Maya like that, her eyes that used to shine now almost void of happiness, her body shaking from her cries. And when she had shoved him away, with pure fear in her eyes, yelling that he was gone, that he wasn't really here. Seeing that had Michaels heart in shreds. It felt like someone had ripped his heart out and just torn it apart.

What made him feel the worst though, was the fact that if anyone had done this to Maya six months ago, he would have killed them. But knowing that he was the reason she was so broken, that hurt worse than anything else.

/Riley/

"Riley?" she heard Lucas call from the front of the apartment.

Sighing, Riley rolled over in bed. She so did not feel like dealing with him right now. They weren't fighting or anything, she was just tired and feeling guilty. She had stayed up all night thinking about Luke, how could she face Lucas right now? It was simple, she couldn't. No, instead, she would pull the covers even higher so that they covered her head, and curl into a ball. It seemed like the mature, adult thing to do.

And it would have worked, if Lucas hadn't gotten a key to the apartment from Sarah. Thanks to Sarah, after a few minutes Riley heard her door opening.

All of a sudden, Lucas jumped on the bed throwing her in the air from the bounce. Screeching, she clawed for his shirt so she would fall off the bed. He laughed and pulled her close to him, holding her and kissing the top of her head. She had to admit, it was really nice. Lucas was very sweet, but Riley couldn't help the fact that a part of her still missed Luke. That's when it hit her.

" I thought yesterday was your last day in New York. I thought you said you had to go back to Texas for work."

" Yeah, I called and asked for a few more days off. I figured if you're sick, then as your boyfriend I should probably be here to help you feel better." He grinned.

" Oh..." Riley said. Honestly, that's all she could think to say.

Not a minute later, the door bell rang.

" I'll get it" Lucas said as he got up. Okay, so that gave her a few minutes to figure out how to play this. She could tell him it was just one of those twenty four hour colds and that he could go back to Texas and save up his vacation days. Then again, she didn't want to seem mean..

"What the hell are you doing here?!" she heard Lucas yell.

Well, this couldn't be good. Getting out of bed, Riley looked down and saw that she was still in her pj's that consisted of a low cut tank with little coverage and too short shorts that sat low on her hips. Deciding she needed more coverage, she grabbed a throw blanket and wrapped it around herself before heading to the door.


	7. Running Away or Going Crazy

_**No, I did not die or drop off the face of the earth. I'm okay! I'm very sorry to all my readers out there who have waited for an update for...I don't even know how long now. I have had some personal stuff going on that I needed to work through. But, I am back finally! And I bring a new chapter with me!**_

 _ **CrazedAndCnfusedFor5SOS said:**_ You got me all types of f* $ed up. When it said she started running I knew in my gut that she saw them. Unfortunately, they saw her and she didn't know that. Then when she got to the studio and it mentioned "a voice" I was like its Micheal. I knew it wasn't Riley, I knew it wasn't someone who's usually there in the studio. I knew it was Micheal. Although at that part my voice also broke. I couldn't deal and I wasn't even halfway. When it was Micheal's POV for some reason I immediately thought of some of the lyrics to Wrapped Around Your Finger. Idk why I just thought it fit. I feel bad for Lucas. I mean of course Lucas had his faults with his and Riley's relationship, but he was better. He was just trying to be a good boyfriend and she just doesn't want to see him. I thought to myself, "Knowing her,. . . Something is about to go down." There is never a chapter where there is no stick to stir the pot. I love it though. Then, *Sighs dramatically* I read the line "Not a minute later, the door bell rang". If Micheal saw Maya then Luke would try to see Riley and see what's going on. With your chapters I feel both "I can do this, I can do this". While I'm also thinking to myself, "No, no I can't handle this". I'm really excited for the next chapter.

 _ **Reply:Wow, I just want to say, I love reviews like this. You let me know exactly what you are thinking throughout the chapter and how you feel. I love it! I am SO sorry for the long wait on this chapter but I hope you enjoy! :)**_

 _ **SabrinaFanF11 said:**_ Love the new chapter! Can't wait til the next chapter. :)

 _ **Reply: Here you go! I hope you like it!**_

 _ **Gmworld said:**_ Loved the insecurity from Maya at the beginning and the run in with Michael. We need that. I hope the next chapter will be the same thing for Luke. Please Update soon.

 _ **Reply: Yeah...Updating soon didn't exactly happen. I'm really sorry! But I'm glad you loved it and I hope you love this chapter just as much!**_

 _ **Two last thing, guys. One, I am dedicating this chapter to Katiethecandycorn. Without her message the other day encouraging me to keep writing, this chapter probably wouldn't be here today. Lastly, I wanted to say that for all of you who actually read this chapter and who have stuck with me, Thank you SO much. It means more than you can imagine! :)**_

 _ **That's all for now guys! I will update when I get...3 reviews at least. Until then...**_

 _ **~ LoveToRead404**_

* * *

"LUKE?!" Riley screeched before tackling him in a hug. God, how Luke had missed having her in his arms. He smirked as he saw the scowl on the other guys face when he wrapped his arms around her. Riley was his. Whether she knew that or not, he wasn't sure... But he was sure that he wasn't gonna let whoever this asshole was steel her away from him.

But then, Riley started pulling away. He let go and before he could even say anything his cheek was stinging from a harsh slap. Yeah, he kind of figured that might happen.

" What the hell are you doing here?!" Riley yelled, close to tears, before slapping him again and then hugging him.

Okay, so he wasn't exactly expecting _this._ He expected to get slapped, then hugged, then everything would go back to how it was before. Something told him he had misjudged, though.

" Riley?" The other guy said, apparently bringing Riley back. Suddenly, she was pulling away from Luke again. Only, this time, she kept going until she was in the other guys arms.

/Riley/

Riley didn't know how to act. She wanted to cry and scream and laugh and smile and... And beat the crap out of Luke for leaving her like that and hug him and kiss him because he was back. He came back.

Instead of doing any of that though, she stood frozen. Lucas's arms around her protectively as he and Luke glared at each other. Riley didn't know what to do.

 _Maya. I need Maya._ She thought as she pulled away from Lucas and ran to the bathroom. _Maya will know what to do._

/Maya/

Maya could hear her phone ringing as she sped down the road, not that she really cared. All she cared about was getting to her mom's and getting away from everything that held any sort of memory of her time with _him_.

Turing up the radio to drown out the sound of her phone and her thoughts, Maya let herself be carried away by the music. It was the only comfort she had left at this point, even if it did kind of remind her of him. At least it also helped to ease the pain.

A few hours later and she arrived at her mom's small house. It sat back in the woods and was one of the most peaceful places Maya had ever seen. Her mom raced out to give her a hug as she got out of the car.

" Oh Honey, what happened? Is everything ok?" Katy asked.

" Yeah mom, I just needed some space from all the people and business of the city." Maya said, giving her mom a faint smile.

Katy gave her an unbelieving look but let it slide.

" Alright, well, Come in and I'll help you get unpacked . Then you can help with dinner."

Maya was too tired to argue, she simply nodded and followed her mom back to the house.

/Lucas/

Lucas and Luke sat in the living room across from each other. They were still glaring at each other and were about five seconds from ripping each other apart.

For Lucas, this guy was the lowest of the low. It would be bad enough if he was just Riley's ex. But, no, this guy couldn't even give Riley the courtesy of a proper break up. He just left in the middle of the night, breaking Riley's heart. And leaving Lucas to be the one to fly in every weekend, helping her get over Luke and slowly win Riley's heart for himself.

Of course, he knew that she wasn't completely over Luke. He wasn't that dumb. But was hoping that eventually he'd be able to win her over, get her to love him the way he loved her. With Luke back, though, it wasn't looking good. Luke threatened Lucas's relationship with Riley and he didn't like that.

" So, why are you here?" Luke asked, his voice low.

" You're the one that abandoned Riley six months ago. Leaving in the middle of the night, not even saying good bye, and you're asking _me_ why _I'm_ here?!" Lucas growled. He couldn't believe the nerve this guy had.

Luke flinched " I didn't want to hurt her. I thought it would be easier for her if I just left"

Lucas shot up from his seat. " Don't even try that! You did it because you're a wimp and a piece of crap! You did it because it was easier for _you_! So don't you _dare_ try to use her as an excuse!"

" I'm not trying to use her as an excuse! I'm telling the truth! If I had known it would hurt her this much, I wouldn't have left!" Luke yelled back.

" Oh save it! You can't fool me! You never did plan to stay, did you?! You were always gonna leave! I bet the only reason you even came back was because you couldn't stand the guilt you had from not even breaking up with her properly!"

And at that, the first fist flew.

/Riley/

Giving up on trying to get in touch with Maya, Riley walked into the living room and was greeted with an unexpected view. Lucas and Luke were struggling against each other on the floor. Luke had Lucas pinned and as he tried to grab Lucas's hands, Lucas rolled them over and pinned Luke.

It most certainly... _interesting_ walking in on your current boyfriend sitting on your ex's stomach, trying pinning his hands above his head. Not what she had expected, anyway. Not that Riley really knew what to expect. She was clueless as to how she was going to handle these two. However, taking blackmail pictures to save for later (Because if she didn't know they were fighting, well, let's just say someone could easily misread the situation) would be a good start.

After snapping a few good clear shots, she finished walking into the room. She still went unnoticed by the two fighting males, though, so she just quietly sat down on the couch. Best to let them tire themselves out while she gathered her thoughts.

/Gloria/

It had been a few days since Gloria had finally opened that letter and she still had no clue what it meant. It made her happy that she knew he loved her and the ring was really pretty and all, but she just didn't get it!

It was driving her crazy, even in her sleep. Her dreams would be of her and Calum walking through a beautiful park, it was a perfectly sunny day. Suddenly he stops, he's down on one knee holding the small ring between two fingers and...all he says is " I love you". That's it. No " I love you, Gloria. Will you marry me?" No " Gloria, I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you". Not even " Gloria, I love you and even though I know we haven't been together long enough to get married, I want you to have this ring in hopes that one day". No. None of that.

Don't get her wrong, she was ecstatic that he loved her, she knew that that was no small thing. But having no explanation as to what he meant by giving her this ring was driving her absolutely MAD!

Dragging herself out of her thoughts, Gloria walked out of the elevator. She had had a half day at work and would kill for a good coffee. Groaning as she got to the door and saw it was raining, she reached in her bag for her rain coat. Which a few minutes later she realized she had not packed. _Good thing I didn't have to come back to work._ She thought as she walked out the door.

After walking all the way from work to the coffee shop, Gloria was soaked. She was also pretty sure that at this point her shirt was kind of see through. Not that she really cared, all she was focused on right now was coffee. That had to be the reason that, as she walked up to the counter to order, she didn't notice anyone or anything else in the shop. That is, until her name was called. It wasn't the barista, Anna. No, this voice she knew, even six months after he had abandoned her in the middle of the night. This voice she could not forget, no matter how hard she might try.

* * *

 _ **Alright guys, you know what to do! If you like this and want to get a new chapter, review and let me know! :)**_


	8. Maya's home or Cafe Meeting

_**Okay, promise kept. Three reviews later, I am updating. I know I waited a few extra days but, I was trying to figure out how I wanted to do this chapter. I have to say, writers block sucks!**_

 _ **CrazedAndConfusedFor5SOS said:**_ I. . . I really don't know where to start. All I know is that when you post I'm excited ,because this is the season 4 of GMW that we didn't get. Well, besides Sabrina Carpenter's Thumbs music video. So, no matter how short the chapter I'm still very grateful that I have a chapter to read. For the very first part of the chapter I felt proud of Riley. I mean she was never that character to be violent or rude to anyone in any way. So, when she slapped him more than once it felt good to know that if she had any frustrations that she didn't know she had towards look she took out on him. Like, just let out her anger first then try and get her thoughts together. But when she thought that "if Maya were here then she would know what to do". I thought," I guess out of all days to push into the world, today had to be the day you wished she was home. For both Maya and Riley. Although what would Maya do? I mean, she has her own problems. Heck, she thought Micheal was a hallucination, how would she react if she saw Luke? But if Maya needed to be away that badly then I say that's her call and she should do the best for her. Then, you did what you do best and I love it. I read "Lucas" and I could picture in my head a hollow shadow frame of a person hovering over a pot and stirring like there's no tomorrow. It's a miracle they weren't already on the floor rolling all over trying to pin each other down. I think what little they said to each other was the only type of a "civil conversation" they will ever have. And then you made it better when you had Riley come in and start taking pictures for future purposes. That was beautiful. I bet she'll have to wait at least 5 minutes before one of them realizes that she's just there waiting on them to finish. However, in Gloria's POV after her thoughts about the ring, I don't blame her. Now, she makes it worse for herself like Maya and decided to leave the house. I know people need to go to work, but caffeine addicts always need a coffee when it's cold. No matter what. So when she walked to the coffee shop, it made me think, "Wait a minute, isn't Calum or Ashton supposed to be at the coffee shop getting coffee for everyone?" It was fair that you made all three girls be confronted by their guys. It just seemed fair. This has to be my longest review. So, I'm gonna end it here and wait patiently for the next chapter.

 _ **Reply: I have to say, I'm honored that you think of this as season 4. That's a huge complement for me and I really appreciate it. As far as Riley's reaction, I'm glad you liked it. I really wanted to have her just kind of lose it for a minute. And poor Maya, gods, I put her character through so much. I kind of feel bad about it. As far as Gloria goes, something tells me her reaction's going to be quite something! ;)**_

 _ **Angel1D98 said:**_ FIRST  
I am sorry I haven't talked to you for FIVE freaking months because I am a bad friend and life was hard on me even though I am always on here everyday. I want to encourage you and make you happy every time I talk to you(in the near future) because you encourage me and make me happy.  
SECOND  
I really loved the chapter and i'm glad to have you back writing fanfics,the chapter was emotional. Thank goodness the boys are back

 _ **Reply: Oh, don't feel bad! I know life gets crazy hard at times. I hope everything's okay though. I'm really glad you liked the chapter! I'll try to message you soon. :)**_

 _ **Gmworld said:**_ I liked this chapter. It was a bit of filler.

 _ **Reply: Thanks, I'm glad you liked it. I hope you enjoy this one too! :)**_

 _ **Alright guys, I think I'm going to go with same as last time. Give me three reviews and I'll update. I really hope to hear from you guys and really really hope that you enjoy this chapter. See you soon! Until next time...**_

 _ **~LoveToRead404**_

* * *

"Hey, sweetie? Can you please come help me with dinner. Shawn will be here shortly and I'd like to have it done before then." Katy called from the downstairs kitchen.

Maya rolled over on her bed. She had gotten here about an hour ago. She and her mom had unpacked her things in all of five minutes. It's not like she had brung a whole lot. Afterwards, her mom had gone back downstairs, leaving Maya alone.

She really hated cooking, part of the reason being that she was terrible at it. The other reason being, well, she just _hated_ cooking. Because of this, she would usually do everything in her power to avoid it. Seeing as she had agreed to helping though, she made an exception and dragged herself off the twin size bed. She grabbed one of her old jackets that she had left behind from the closet and left the room.

Arriving in the kitchen, she was greeted by her mom chopping up carrots and some other vegetables while talking on the phone. Maya just stood at the counter and waited for her mom to finish and tell her what to do.

"Okay, yeah. That's okay, babe...Sounds good! I'll see you then!" Katy hung up the phone before turning to Maya.

" That was Shawn. Apparently, we need to make extra food. Him and Josh have had a long day so, he's bringing Josh here instead of making him drive all the way back home. We need to get the guest room ready, too. Can you please do that for me?"

"Yeah, sure." Maya replied, holding back a groan of frustration. Could she not just escape from the idiot guys in her life for _one_ _freakin night_?! All she wanted was _one bloody night_! That's it! Why was that so difficult?!

She continued to rage and scream internally as she climbed the stairs and walked to the guest room. She closed the door behind her and tried to get to work. She tried. It didn't work. Instead she grabbed a pillow and threw it as hard as she could at the wall. She kept grabbing them and throwing them until there were no more pillows left to throw. That's when the tears came.

She didn't know why she kept crying, Maya knew it wouldn't fix anything. It would make her hurt any less. It wouldn't erase the last six months. It wouldn't help her forget or bring him back. But she didn't know what else to do. She had tried moving on, it hadn't worked. She had tried working through how she felt, that _definitely_ didn't work. She felt lost, alone and miserable. It was awful.

Not wanting her mom to see her like this though, Maya picked herself up and walked to the bathroom to get herself looking decent again. She didn't really care that the room was left in a worse state than she had found it in. If Josh wanted it clean, he could clean it himself. She sure as hell wasn't going to do it.

/Sarah/

It was finally five o'clock. Time for Sarah to leave work and hit a certain cafe on the way home so that she could see a certain waiter. She hadn't stopped in there in a while because of her confusion as to whether or not she was over Ashton. But, today, she didn't care. She wanted to see Jay.

Smiling, she walked the short distance to the cafe. Upon walking in, she was greeted with a dull good afternoon from the waiter cleaning up behind the counter. Even from the back, she knew who it was.

"Hey" she said, getting him to turn around.

Seeing it was her, his face lit up with a smile and he came around the counter to give her a tight hug. "Where have you been?! It seems like it's been forever since you've come in!"

" It's been a couple days at most." She blushed, hugging him back just as tightly.

" I still missed seeing you." He said quietly as he pulled back and went to grab her usual cookie and coffee.

He walked over to the table where she had snagged a seat and sat down next to her.

" So why haven't you been coming around like you used to?" Jay asked, the nervousness in his voice evident.

Sarah took a moment to contemplate her answer. It's not like she could just come out and say _"Well you know, I've been meaning to pop by. It's just been kind of difficult to find time between work, thinking constantly about my ex and whether or not I still like him, and contemplating my feelings for you. So, how've you been?"_ Yeah, somehow she didn't think that'd go over well.

"Uh, well-" she started. She had no idea how to finish that sentence though and him looking at her expectantly wasn't helping. Damn, what she would do for a distraction right now.

 _"Sarah?!"_

Okay, distraction. Perfect! Seeing Jay turn his attention toward the window, Sarah turned to look. As soon as she saw who stood on the other side she froze. That was _not_ the distraction she was hoping for. Not at all.

" Hey, do you know those people?" Jay asked her as he turned back toward her.

Sarah couldn't answer. Hell, she couldn't even breath! What the bloody hell were _they_ doing here?! And how had they found her?!

/Calum/

"Gloria!" Calum called as he left his seat and went to walk over to her. He was aiming to talk to her and maybe even get a hug. However, that didn't seem to be Gloria's intentions. At all.

In fact, the way she was looking at him in this moment was making him wonder if aiming for that would really be such a good idea. This did not look like the Gloria he used to know. This chick looked murderously angry. Her face was red, her brows pinched together. If she were a cartoon, he could just see the smoke coming out of her ears.

While he was thinking about that, though, she lunged and all but tackled him to the ground. Calum was so shocked that he couldn't even fight back. All his brain registered was that Gloria was here, Gloria was on top of him and WOW did it hurt when Gloria slapped the hell out of him.

"OUCH!" Calum shouted, coming back to reality.

"How dare you!" Gloria screeched as she went to slap him again.

Calum didn't know what she was on about but as he looked around for help, all he saw were a few bystanders looking on in horrified shock and an amused barista sitting behind the counter eating a cookie while she watched. Yeah, he would be on his own for this fight. That was sad, it meant he would probably die.

" Hey babe? How about we stop with the slapping?" he asked as she pulled back her hand yet for the third or fourth time.

" Don't you _dare_ call me babe! You don't have the right!" She yelled.

Just as she went to slap him, he had had enough. He rolled them over so that he could pin her onto the floor beneath him. He pulled her hands above her head and held them there as he used the rest of his body to keep her smaller frame in place. There was no way she could escape ,or move, period.

" I know you're upset, I under-"

" Don't say you understand. You understand nothing! You left me, in the middle of the nigh with no good bye!" she sobbed " I had trusted you and you just left me! Like you couldn't be bothered to even care!"

" I did care! Leaving you was not easy for me! I missed you like crazy! " he tried to explain.

She wriggled around underneath him until he moved to let her up. Once standing, she gave him an icy glare before turning and leaving. Her coffee long forgotten and her heart feeling broken all over again.

/Riley/

" How long have you been standing there?" Lucas panted from his spot on the living room floor.

" Oh, not to long" Riley grinned evilly down at them.

" How much of that did you see?" Luke asked, also out of breath.

" Oh, not too much" she answered. She had seen enough. Enough to know that both of these boys laying here in front of her really cared for her. Both of them wanted her. Heck, she wanted both of them. But, she couldn't have them. She had to choose, didn't she?

* * *

 _ **You know, I've had a lot happen in my life this past weekend. A lot of it was good and quite a bit of it was bad. I cannot tell you how badly I wanted to do what Maya did and just start throwing pillows at walls (maybe at a few certain someones also, not gonna lie). Anyway, I hope you guys liked this, if so, please review and let me know. I would SERIOUSLY appreciate it! :)  
**_


	9. Long Lost or Finally Home

**_Reviews from last chapter:_**

 ** _CrazedAndConfusedFor5SOS said:_** *Sighs Dramatically* I was wondering how you were gonna write Maya's POV. I figured since she was away she could finally get her 5 minutes of peace. Now, when I say," 5 minutes of peace" I meant it as an expression. You seem to take that expression literally. I mean, Maya just can't catch a break. The second I saw Josh's name I had a groan of frustration. Of course, I understand how Maya didn't wanna talk about her frustrations. She needed a break, everyone needs a break every once in a while. But to add Josh to all this. Come on. I mean he's another whole can of worms for Maya. Doesn't she have enough on her plate. What are you gonna do for the next chapter? Are you gonna get them alone and have Josh let Maya vent to him about why she's there and then have them kiss or something creating MORE FRICTION for the plate of drama that's going on in her life? I wasn't even half way finished with the chapter and you already have me in hysterics. Why do you do this to me? Don't get me wrong, I love the confrontations you write, but *Another Dramatic Sigh* I feel so tired. I- I just- I'm tired. Okay? I'm just tired. Now, for Sarah's POV, I was happy for her when I read about her trying to move on. I WAS. But then I remembered, that's not how this story is suppose to go. I knew something was gonna happen, but when she was thinking about how to hell Jay on why she hasn't stopped by in a while she wanted a distraction to get out of the awkwardness. My hysterics stopped and I yelled at my laptop saying," No Sara! That's not what you want! You wanna know why? I'm gonna tell you why. Because the one person you don't really wanna see is going to be you're distraction!" Next thing you know her name is being called and I know in my soul that was the one person she doesn't wanna see. Life's not easy. Life is never easy. Then we have Calum. Calum's an idiot. Calum's frickin stupid. Just leaving Gloria with the note he left confessing his full love for her with a ring giving her more questions than answers. He sees her again and he expects Gloria to just jump right back in his arms like nothing even happened. He even had the audacity to call her babe. WTF?! Like, you can't just care for someone like the way they all did for the girls, leaving in the middle of the night with notes that don't really explain anything and then just expect to be welcome with open arms? No, that's not how is works. At least Luke knew he deserved it at least he somewhat knew that he was gonna get hurt in some way. The guys leaving had a WAY bigger toll on the girls than the guys ever thought. It's as if they did take the girls' feelings into consideration, but not completely. I don't know what to say for Riley except, . . . I wish her the best. This isn't the easiest decision for her, but I'd say this is the least of her problems, because not only does she have to deal with Luke, but she also has to deal with the mess that follows when all the girls and all the guys are in the same room. Everyone has that to deal with later and no ones thinking about that. There's just a world of trouble coming and I'm waiting for it to go down.

 ** _Reply: Yeah, poor Maya. I almost feel bad for putting her through all this mess but, let's be honest: Love is messy. When you get attached to someone the way she did with Michael, and then that someone leaves, that's going to leave scars and it's going to be painful. Especially when you already have abandonment issues from your dad walking out on you. As far as Sarah goes, I think she's in for quite a few surprises this story. All the girls are *Grins*. I have to agree with you on Calum being an idiot last chapter, though. Calling her babe like that, not a smart move. And finally, as for Riley; Well, let's just say this is going to get interesting for her down the road. ;)_**

 ** _Angel1D said:_** Omg this chapter was so intense and what happened to you babe?

 ** _Reply: Well, there was a guy, I had known him for a while, that I really liked and I thought he really liked me. He actually invited me to go see a movie with him. I said yes, thinking it would just be us. I wasn't sure if it was a date or not (he didn't say) but, I was just excited to spend time with him, you know? Well, it wasn't a date and it wasn't just me and him. It was a group of his friends (who I don't really know) and him and me. I still went though and he came to pick me up and said he could take me home. Well, long story short, he decided at the end of the movie that he couldn't take me home. He left me at a nearby bookstore and I had to call a friend for a ride home. Then, I found out a few days later that he has a girlfriend. So yeah, my love life at the moment is not going so great. I feel a little like the girls in the story and I have to say, it sucks. :(  
_**

 ** _Gmworld said:_** Oh Maya. Oh Sarah. Oh Riley.

 ** _Reply: *Nods slowly* yeah...  
_**

 ** _Okay, so I've decided that I'm going to take my time with this story. I was reading over the first Dance Lessons and realized that it seems kinda rushed. I didn't like that and I think it would've been better if it had gone a tad bit slower. Let the characters have time to grow and all that. So, I think I'm going to give it a shot and hopefully it'll help my writing improve. :) I'm also going to try and have longer chapters. What do you guys think? Good idea or bad? Anyway, I hope you guy's enjoy this chapter. If you do, let me know in the reviews. It makes my day when I hear from you guys! Until then..._**

 ** _~LoveToRead404_**

* * *

 _"Sarah_?!" The older couple on the outside of the window called again. Sarah knew the right thing to do would be respond in some way but, she couldn't. She was frozen. Time was frozen.

She hadn't seen her parents since the night she ran away. She hadn't talked or even tried to contact them since that night. Yet, here they were. Somehow, they had found her and in that moment she could feel the life she had built here crumble.

"Sarah?" A new voice said. This voice was gentle and sounded concerned. Blinking, Sarah turned to where Jay sat next to her.

"Are you okay? You look like you're ready to cry." He said, his hand reaching out to rest on hers. The action was soothing. She looked up into his eyes to see the bright blue laced with emerald green. She loved to look in those eyes, they reminded her of the ocean. She wished they were at the ocean, maybe her parents wouldn't have found her there; and if they had, she could have drowned herself to save herself from all the hell she would have to endure now. Although, looking into Jay's eyes, she was glad she wasn't at the ocean because, in all honesty, she would much rather be here with him. She leaned in and hugged him. He didn't have time to react before she was pulling back and walking outside.

"Hello mother, father." she said in her best formal voice, facing the woman who wore a slimming black dress, a string of pearls around her neck, heels that matched the dress and lipstick the color of blood. She then turned to the man beside the woman who wore a suit that fitted him to a T and dress shoes. Sarah took a deep breath, bracing for the worst. There was a moment of silence.

"You little brat!" her mother screeched "You run away, never to contact us again, leaving us to think the worst, and all you say is hello?!"

"Darling please," her father said before moving closer to Sarah. She stood there in absolute shock as he actually _hugged_ her. As her father put it when she was little, he didn't _hug_ people.

"We missed you" he whispered. " I can't believe you left me alone with your mother, though. That was kind of cruel" he chuckled quietly in her ear.

She would have smiled at that, being pleasantly surprised by her father's warm greeting, if she hadn't been on the receiving end of her mother's death glare the entire time. Her father pulled back after a moment and turned to her mother.

" You know, instead of fuming and fussing her out, you could try starting out with 'hello'. Take a page from her book" Her father grinned as he winked at Sarah.

Sarah didn't know what to do. This was not the cold, distant and almost unloving father she remembered. Who was this crazy old guy?! Looking to her mother, she saw the woman shooting her husband a look of complete betrayal.

The group stood there for a moment before her father suggested that he and Sarah's mother head back to the hotel. He asked Sarah to walk with them and she vaguely remembered nodding her agreement. On the way, her dad told her all about the show they had just come from and asked her a few questions about her life now. It was about an hour later when she arrived at her apartment. Silly her to think she'd actually be able to go to sleep though, no ,instead, she found an all new surprise. Well, multiple surprises really.

/Maya/

" Time for dinner!" Katy called through the house, bringing Maya out of her thoughts from where she lay on her bed.

Getting up to go downstairs, Maya stood at her closed door a moment, her hands shaking from nerves about seeing Josh again. What would he do? What would he say? What would _she_ say?! It was kind of weird the way he left last time. She hoped things between them wouldn't be that weird. As fragile a state that she was in, she didn't know if she was going to be able to handle that. And God help her if he mentioned Michael.

Pushing those thoughts aside, she worked up as much courage as she could and walked out the door. Going down the stairs, she could already hear the other three people talking in the dining room. Taking one last steadying breath, she walked through the door and was greeted by a freezing stare from Josh. It wasn't exactly say cold or uncaring but, it didn't have a caring or look of adoration in it either. The look fell somewhere in between and that was unsettling for Maya. What was even worse, though, was the fact that her mom and Shaun had saved her a seat...right beside Josh. Oh boy.

Other than the extreme awkwardness between Josh and Maya, the dinner went well. It was nice to finally be back with her family, Katy asking the usual questions of "How's Riley? What have you been up to? How's work?" and Shaun getting on her about never coming to visit and how she needed to come with him on one of his photography trips. After they had all finished, Maya went to wash dishes, only to be pushed aside by her mother.

"Go catch up with Josh, it seems to me you two have some things you need to talk about."

" Mom-"

"Nope. Not up for debate. Go" Katy said, pointing a finger toward the porch where Josh had gone to sit alone, with a stern look painting her face.

Sighing in resignation, Maya walked outside. Her mom was right, they had a lot to talk about. Although, how her mom knew that was beyond Maya. The guy hadn't said as much as one word to her through the entire dinner.

"Hi" he said as he looked up at her from the porch swing.

Walking over to the swing, Maya was surprised when Josh actually stood up and went in to hug her. She didn't have it in her to move away or ask him not to, instead, she welcomed. As they shared the embrace, Maya nearly melted. She had forgotten how nice it felt to be held by strong arms while breathing in that scent that was something masculine. It made her feel safe and protected, something she hadn't felt since...

That thought lead her to push out of his arms and sit down on the swing. He seemed shocked at the sudden distance she had put between them. He even gave her a look that silently asked, in that way only he had, what was wrong. How could she explain it to him, though? He wouldn't understand. So, instead of trying to answer that silent question that was between them, she simply slid over to one side of the swing and patted the empty place beside her. As he sat down, she suddenly felt his body next to hers, making her heart thump in her chest. She hadn't been this close to a guy in a long time.

"Maya, what's wrong?" he asked in a quiet voice, meant only for her.

" I-" She said, before pausing. " It's nothing."

"Don't say that. I know you and I know it isn't nothing."

There was a moment of silence as they sat there in the night air. She knew he wanted her to answer, he wanted to know what had happened to her. But how could she tell him? Simple, she couldn't.

" Maya, I know that look in your eyes. I haven't seen it in years but, it's something I will never forget. I hate seeing you hurt. But I know that look means that you have been hurt. Badly. Just tell me what's wrong. Maybe I can help."

" No, you can't help. No one can! Why can't you people just realize that?! No one can help me!" She cried.

And there she went again, shedding more useless tears that did nothing to make her feel better. She felt his arm go around her as the sobs wracked her body. She didn't try to stop them, she just let it pour out of her. If it had been anyone else sitting there, their arm around her, she would've shrugged them off and ran away. But the way he just sat there, saying nothing, just being there with her, it was different. He didn't try to make her stop, didn't try to calm her down. He just let her cry.

Still crying, she curled up against his chest. Both of his arms went around her now, but he still kept silent. Maybe she was wrong, maybe he did understand. Maybe he knew, somehow, what it was like to have your heart shattered into thousands of tiny pieces. To have all of those butterflies that were once fluttering in your stomach, drop dead. Leaving you feeling sick and empty. Maybe he knew.

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 _ **Well, I hope you liked it. Tell me what you think in the reviews! :)**_


	10. Bumpy Reunions or Happy Moments

_**Hey guys! Sorry for the delay. I was hoping that if I waited, maybe I'd get some more reviews. However, today is my friend Angel1D98's Birthday! So I though I'd update the story and dedicate the chapter to her for her birthday. So, HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANGEL! This chapter's for you!**_

 _ **Reviews:**_

 _ **CrazedAndConfusedFor5SOS said:**_ _So, she ran away. I would have never guessed that that the couple outside giving Sarah a distraction was her parents. And the plot thickens for Sarah. Especially since she finally got home to her apartment. To think if instead of going to the places the other girls did, imagine if they just went home straight after. When I got a feel for how the mom was, I imagined a older women with a disgusted smug look. As if they were royalty and everyone else was beneath them. I figured the dad would be the same way otherwise there wouldn't have been much point for disappearing. So, when he was warm and welcome to Sarah and since he even tried joking with her. He earned some first impression points from me. Even if for Sarah he was a distant and cold man. Some people change and some people don't. Although,we can't dwell on that part of the story forever. Back to business. Maya. The one time she was wiling to do some work and her mom told her," No Maya. That's okay. You go patch up the drama that's waiting for you outside". Sure enough, she's on the front porch and before she could try to establish her presence he already knew she was there. A lot went down since the last time they saw each other and there's obviously a reason for their tension. Which, hopefully, will be revealed soon. Plus, it is good to know that Josh is still the good, caring guy we all hope he will be. I don't know how anyone can write him as anything else. Once again, I wish the best for Maya and the giant snowball that's getting bigger as it heads her way._

 ** _Reply: Yeah, I wanted to do something unexpected so I thought I'd throw in Sarah's long forgotten parents haha! And poor Maya, I've put her through so much, I wanted her to have at least one decent acting guy around (for now ;)). I liked the idea of her Josh getting kind of friendly. And thank you so much for reviewing!_**

 ** _Ok, that's all for now! Enjoy the chapter! Untile next time..._**

 ** _~LoveToRead404_**

* * *

Calum didn't know what to do. His reunion with Gloria had gone horribly, leaving him standing in the middle of a cafe with everyone staring at him. There were two older ladies standing to the left giving him withering glares and the barista behind the counter looked like she just wanted to laugh at him.

Taking a breath to calm himself, he looked out the window to see Gloria was still in the parking lot. He didn't know if he should go out and try to talk to her again, though. What if it turned out like this, or worse? Maybe he should just give her some space, that would be the smart thing to do.

Then again, he never did claim to be very smart. That's probably why he was walking out the door to try and talk to her again. Right?

/Gloria/

 _Oh you have to be kidding me!_ Gloria had finally stopped crying and had calmed herself down enough to be able to drive back to the apartment when she turned around and saw Calum walking towards her. Had she not been clear the first time? Maybe he hadn't gotten the message: She was heartbroken, lonely and hurt and it was all his fault. Why wouldn't he just leave her alone?

" What do you want" she growled as he approached.

" Look, I just want a chance to explain! I -" he started.

" Explain?! Explain what, exactly? Why you left me? Why you couldn't even be bothered to say a proper goodbye?! Why you shattered my heart before stomping on the pieces?!" Gloria cried.

Suddenly Calum lunged forward and held her in a hug. It was all he could do. Seeing her like this,the hurt and brokenness in her eyes, he knew that nothing he could ever say would fix what he had done. The one girl he loved, he had abandoned. And just like that, his heart shattered for her.

As they stood there, him holding her shaking form as she cried into his chest, he thought he might actually understand.

/ Riley/

The two boys had finally stopped fighting after wearing each other out, just as she had hoped. Now, if she could just get them to be civil long enough to figure out what was going on...

" You, Sit down there" she said to Lucas, pointing to the left end of the couch.

" You, sit there" she said to Luke, pointing to the right end of the couch.

The two did as she said, but not without shooting death glares at each other the whole time.

" Now, Luke, do you care to explain just what the hell is going on here?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.

" What do you mean?"

" I mean, after all this time, why do you suddenly show up at my apartment? Where are the other three? _What is going on_?!"

He flinched at her tone before answering. " Well, I came here hoping to see you. We came back to try and reconnect. Michael, Ash and Cal are out trying to find the other girls but I thought I'd start here."

Riley's face went white. Michael was here?! Was that why Maya wasn't answering her phone? Why Riley hadn't seen her? Had Maya ran into Michael already? Oh God! This was bad. This was very _very_ bad!

/Luke/

Riley's face just went ghostly pale as she froze where she was standing. That couldn't be good. Seriously, was the idea of getting back together with him that disturbing for her? He knew she probably wouldn't want to get back together right away but, damn! The way she was acting right now, he wasn't sure if he had a chance at ever getting her back. Then again, maybe the look on her face wasn't about the idea of them getting back together. Maybe it was about something else. There's a chance that could be it... Maybe. Hopefully.

However, the completely murderous look on Lucas's face? Yeah, Luke definitely knew _that_ was related to the idea of him and Riley getting back together. Too bad though, cause if Luke had it his way, Riley would dump Lucas and come back to Luke _very_ soon.

/ Josh/

Josh had forgotten just how good it felt to have Maya this close. Just to be clear, he enjoyed it _very_ much. And he missed it when Maya finally pulled away. Although, he was glad to see that she wasn't crying anymore. He didn't like it when she was upset and he desperately wanted to know why she had been upset. Maybe if he knew, he could help her somehow.

However, he wouldn't push her any further tonight. Tonight, he would just let her relax while he enjoyed her company. Maybe he would even get to hold her again... That would be nice.

/Maya/

Finally the tears stopped and Maya pulled away from Josh. She had meant to get up and walk back to her room. She really had, but looking at Josh, she just couldn't leave him. Instead, she leaned back against the seat as Josh put the swing in motion. They sat there, listening to the creatures of the night. For the first time in a while, Maya was enjoying the moment. It was peaceful and Josh's company wasn't too bad either. Maybe, in a little while, she'd let him hold her again... That had been nice.

* * *

 _ **So, I was going to keep writing on this chapter but I really wanted to end with Maya happy for once. I hope you guys liked it though. Please review, I love hearing from you guys! It makes my day! Until next chapter...**_

 _ **~LoveToRead404**_


	11. Going Crazy or They're Back

_**I know your all probably shocked, I'm updating and I didn't even take forever this time! ;)**_

 _ **Reviews:**_

 _ **Guest said:**_ _JOSHAYA! please don't make Maya end up with Michael_

 _ **Reply: I guarantee nothing, you'll have to keep reading to see what happens. ;)**_

 _ **Angel1D98 said:**_ _First of all thank you for the birthday wish! And second of all it was a great way to end the chapter but awesome chapter as always_

 _ **Reply: No problem, I hope you had a great b-day! And thank you!**_

 _ **CrazedAndConfusedFor505 said:**_ _I would have read and reviewed this chapter yesterday but I had ZERO internet connection. I'm back and glad to say that this chapter is exactly what I needed. Calum's an igit. Gloria just wants to go home after this stressful encounter. I love how Riley is treating Lucas and Luke like 5 year old boys. The entitlement here is outstanding. Then, it was stripped away when she realized that if Luke's back then so are the others. AND SHE KNOWS Maya is nowhere near ready to see Micheal. Maya had genuine hallucinations about seeing Micheal when he wasn't there. The one time he was and she ran away. I really like the way you ended the chapter. It did end on a peaceful note, but you could smell mischief in the air and I'm excited for it._

 _ **Reply: No internet?! I know that sucks! I have that problem before myself. :( I totally agree, Calum is an igit haha! I'm glad you liked how Riley handled Luke and Lucas, I had debated on weather or not to do that, so I'm glad to hear someone liked it! And as far as the mischief goes? I mean, come on, it's not my fault stuff always goes crazy for the girls! Well, it is...But they'll get through it! ;)**_

* * *

"What do you mean your back?!" Riley screeched as she paced the living room.

" Ah, I mean we came back. We finished the tour and came back to see you guys." Luke tried to explain.

" Oh! Oh so you just thought you'd come back and we'd just be sitting here, looking pretty, ready to welcome you back with smiles and hugs?!" Riley stopped her pacing in favor of staring Luke down.

" Well-" He attempted.

" Do you have any idea how badly you hurt us?! _Any idea_?! The heartache you put us through! I have to say, the act was very convincing! You had all of us fooled, thinking you actually cared about us! And then you leave! No goodbye! Just four measly letters and hoodies to go with! Brilliant idea, by the way. Really. Tell me, whose idea was it exactly?" Riley stopped to take a breath.

Luke didn't know what to say to that. Thank goodness, that's when Sarah enters and distracts Riley. Then again, seeing the look on her face, maybe he shouldn't be so thankful that Sarah's here.

/Sarah/

 _Oh. My. God._

Sarah froze inside the doorway, her face going sickly pale as she took in the group of people in front of her. _That can't be him. It CAN'T be! I'm going crazy. Yeah, that's what it is._ Sarah tried to reassure herself. After all, that could _not_ be Luke. If that was Luke, if Luke were here, then the other guys would be here. Right?

This wasn't actually happening. It was just her brain playing tricks on her, it was wishful thinking. Her brain was saying " Well, if my parents came for me, then maybe Ash will to!". Traitorous brain.

 _It's settled, then._ Sarah mentally said _Luke isn't actually here, Ash is not coming back and I am going crazy._

Nodding her head once to snap herself out of it, Sarah promptly walked to the kitchen ignoring any and all that was in the living room.

/Riley/

Riley was just turning toward the kitchen to make sure Sarah was okay when the door opened again and Gloria came rushing inside.

The girl didn't acknowledge anyone, however, as she ran straight to her bedroom where Riley could hear her slam her door. A few second later, the door opens yet again, this time welcoming Calum to the party.

"Where'd she go?" he asked with puppy eyes.

"Uh" Riley hesitated. Honestly, she was just waiting for someone else to walk through the door. Maybe this time it'd be someone useful, like the ice cream man. God knows she was going to need him after all this went down.

When no one came through the door after about a minute, Riley got ready to speak. Only for Ashton to poke his head through the door before walking in all the way.

" Oh come on! Don't any of you know how to knock?!" she shouted. The three boys jumped and Riley could hear Lucas snickering. Her anger welling up, she rounded on him.

" You! You have nothing to laugh at right now. Why don't you just go back to your hotel room while I deal with all of this?!" As soon as the words left her mouth, Riley felt bad.

Lucas's face went straight before he stood up and promptly walked to the door, not before shooting her a betrayed look with hurt in his eyes. He slammed the door as he left.

/Sarah/

Sarah could hear something going down in the living room but she had been too busy trying to convince herself that she was going crazy and seeing things to go and check to make sure everything was okay.

Finally having accomplished telling herself she was crazy, though, she walked to the door of the living room. They all looked to her as she stood there. She took them in, her breathing gradually accelerating the more faces she saw.

Luke... Calum... Ashton. _Ashton._ Sarah did a double take on the last face before turning around and walking to her room. She was _not_ going to deal with this right now.

/Ashton/

She was just as beautiful as she had been the last time he saw her. As Sarah left the room, Ashton could feel his heart leap out of his chest to follow her.

/Calum/

Calum was confused. Gloria had been mad at him, but then he had been able to hold her while she had cried. Calum missed holding her. He hadn't realized, till he had seen her at the coffee shop, just how badly he had missed her. He wanted her back desperately, but he didn't know if he would ever be able to call her his again now that he realized how badly he had screwed up. Did he even deserve to be with her?

/Luke/

It felt good to be near Riley again. But the look of hurt on her face as she had sent Lucas away had paned Luke. It was so clear that she cared for the other guy. Luke wanted her back so badly, but he wanted her to be happy more than anything. If she was happy with Lucas, could Luke really handle that? He hadn't even considered it before but, after watching her now, it was painfully obvious that him leaving her had driven her to go back to Lucas. Did Luke even stand a chance at all? Should he even try or should he just give up now before he gets his heart broken?

* * *

 _ **So.. I decided to leave Maya alone for now. She deserves a little time to be happy. Anyway, I hope you guys liked this! Please review, it always makes me happy when I hear from you guys! Until next time...**_

 _ **~LoveToRead404**_


	12. Moving On or Old Flames

_**So I had meant to update yesterday, but I'm lazy. Oh well, at least I'm doing it now! ;)**_

 _ **Reviews:**_

 _ **CrazedAndConfusedFor5SOS said:**_ _Poor Sarah, she had no idea she was heading for a crap tornado. All she had to do was walk through her front door. Now, that Ashton's back how will she come to her senses that he's really there? And what about Jay, huh? Sarah's other boyfriend. "Current." Honestly, I like the way Sarah handled seeing them all like that. She has every right to cause a scene or something like the other girl's will or in Gloria's case did. But Sarah probably looked calm or unfazed just seeing them which I think gave her and edge. Just not for long. For Gloria, let's just keep her in her room til everyone is back and away from Calum. Hell hath no fury like a women's scorn. I have nothing to say for Calum though. Nothing. Luke's last question. I think it's a little late to be thinking if him or any of the guys should even try. After all the chaos it's too late to go back now. Then, there's Ashton's POV. Does he really think that's a good idea? I mean, who knows where Micheal is right now, but Calum was made to look like the biggest dick in some coffee shop. Riley. Bless her heart, was just starting to rip Luke a new one and Ashton just pops on in seeing the explosion about to happen and he gets no reaction. Does Ash not get that if he leaves the spot where he is at, that he'll have to deal with the backlash like the other guys? LAST ,but certainly NOT LEAST Riley. I'm glad she didn't let Lucas off the hook just because everything else was getting more complicated. Like, no sir. Just because her attention is not on you doesn't mean she won't deal with you. I also like the way Riley's handling not only her situation with Lucas and Luke, but Luke in general. I like how Riley is handling everyone when she already has a lot to deal with. Riley is the MVP for best friends right now. Forget just an ice cream. She deserves a whole frickin' ice cream truck. Just for her. I can't wait to see how Maya is doing. Good for her for finally getting some peace._

 _ **Reply: *Sigh* yeah, I pretty much agree with everything you just said! And I think you'll get a lot of the answers to your questions in this chapter ;)**_

 _ **I really hope you guys like this chapter. I tried to give an update on pretty much every character. I also tried to make it longer since I won't be able to update for a short while. Don't worry, I'll be back in no time, and hopefully this will hold you guys over. Until next time...**_

 _ **~LoveToRead404**_

* * *

After Riley had demanded that the three boys sit on the couch and not move a single inch, she walked down the hallway to where the bedrooms were. She didn't know where to start. Who should she talk to first? Shrugging her shoulders as if to say she didn't know, she walked to Sarah's bedroom door. Might as well start with the one that stormed in first.

"Sarah?" Riley called tentatively before she poked her head.

" What do you want?" the girl laying face down on the bed asked.

" Are you okay?" Riley asked, causing the girl to sit up. Riley could see the red tint to her eyes, she had been about to cry.

" Define _okay_. I'm not entirely sure I know what it means to be okay anymore. Use it in a sentence." She said. Riley knew she was trying to be funny, but she could also tell that it didn't work.

" Come on. We are going to have a group meeting. All the girls, I'll call Maya. You get the others together, take them to my room."

Sarah did as Riley asked and got up to go fetch the others. Meanwhile, Riley stayed behind to call Maya. Only, when she hit call, it went straight to voicemail. That was weird. She tried again and same thing.

This was not good, Riley started to panic. She had one missing friend, three heart broke and upset girls in her bedroom and three guys who had broken their hearts in her living room. And of course the missing friend had to be the mentally unstable one!

Groaning, Riley left to go to her room. She had to figure all this out...Somehow.

/Luke/

 **To: Luke**

 **From: Michael**

 **Hey I can't find Maya anywhere. I had her earlier but then she ran away. What now**

 **To: Michael**

 **From: Luke**

 **Meeting at Riley's apartment.**

Luke sighed as he sent the text. Hopefully Riley wouldn't kill him for bringing Michael here. Who knows, maybe it'll be like old times when they were trying to get Maya and Michael together!

/Sarah/

All the girls were finally gathered in Riley's room. All of them except Maya. Sarah briefly wondered where Maya was, but then she quickly forgot about that when she remembered her own problems. She had finally been getting over Ash. Hell, she had planned on asking Jay out tomorrow after work to prove to herself that she had moved on! But no, instead of coming home and planning how she was going to ask Jay out, she comes home to be greeted by faces from the past. One of which she particularly doesn't want to see.

She doesn't love him anymore. _She never really_ loved _him, she just...strongly liked him._ Or at least that what she tells herself. _Besides, it's not like we ever had a future. He was just a nice distraction from real life. He was too good to be true then, and he's too good to be true now._ But he's not all good, is he? He broke her heart and left her. Granted they had written letters, but that had just dragged the pain out and made it harder in the long run.

/Ashton/

He must have royally screwed up if Sarah wouldn't even look at him. But, he didn't know what he had done. He had tried to keep in touch when he left, unlike the other guys. She was the one that stopped writing! He kept trying to write to her, though, even after she stopped. And thinking back on it, there wasn't anything in his letters that could have pissed her of like this. So, what had happened?

/Gloria/

If Calum thought he could just waltz back into Gloria's life and everything would be right back to how they were, he had another thing coming for him. He had left her with nothing but a vague letter and a ring. It had broken her heart. But she was a strong, independent woman! She had gotten over it and moved on! And now he thought he could just come crawling back ?! Hell no! That is not how relationships worked! If he had ever _really_ cared for her, like she had him, he wouldn't have left. End of story.

Her melting in his arms about an hour earlier aside, she was done with Calum. She was going to move on, find someone new. Someone she actually had a chance with, someone that could make her happy.

/Calum/

Tensions are high at the moment and Calum is worried. Gloria means the world to him, it killed him when he had to leave her. It's why he left her his mothers ring. It was his way of promising he'd be back, he loved her. But, he hadn't seen her wearing the ring. Not to mention she had tried to murder him at the coffee shop. He knew that leaving would hurt her, it hurt them both and he had no delusions about that. He hadn't realized how badly he had hurt her, though. And now he didn't know what or how he could fix their relationship. Was there even any relationship to fix?

/Maya/

Last night had been great, very relaxing. Maya and Josh hadn't really talked after her meltdown. Instead, they had simply enjoyed being there with each other. She had slid close to him as he put his arm around her and they had sat on the swing until late in the night.

This morning, Maya felt amazing. She had slept better last night than she had in a long time. And maybe it had something to do with the fact that she awoke curled up with Josh, who was still sleeping with his arms around her waist. Or maybe it was finally happening. Maybe she was in recovery. Maybe Josh could help, if she let him.

Turning over in his arms, she took in the content look on his face. He looked so young and peaceful when he was asleep. Not like the worried twenty five year old from last night.

He groaned slightly and turned his head in his sleep. Maya hadn't seen this side of Josh in a long while. Being with him now was like something out of a distant, but pleasant, memory. Maya wouldn't trade it for the world.

If it didn't like such a ridiculous idea, she might have kissed him. Don't get her wrong, the idea of it was nice; but, again, it was also ridiculous. Last night was him comforting her, nothing more. Still, that didn't mean Maya could let her imagination have a little fun.

Sudden movement snapped Maya out of her thoughts and she was faced with a sleepy smile and gorgeous blue eyes. She couldn't help but smile back.

" Good morning" he mumbled, his voice still rough from sleep.

" Morning sleepy head" Maya giggled in response.

Maya froze suddenly, her face going serious which caused Josh to be awake instantly.

"What's wrong?" he asked worriedly.

She took a moment to answer, before saying "Nothing, it's just...I haven't been this happy in a long time"

Josh smiled at her answer and pulled her closer, placing an unexpected kiss on her forehead. Maya just went with it, enjoying the closeness.

/Josh/

Josh felt like he was going to burst with happiness. He had managed to cheer Maya up last night, and now he had her in his arms as they shared a bed. It was like something out of a dream and he desperately hoped that this dream would not end. He loved the feeling of Maya curling up to him.

He had missed Maya. This Maya, not the sobbing wreck of a girl that he saw last night but, the beautiful and happy girl laying here with him. He hadn't seen this girl since their days in college. It was good to have her back.

He just hoped that it lasted this time, he didn't think he could stand to lose her again.

/Michael/

Michael had spent the past day and a half looking for Maya after he had scared her off. He had checked the coffee shop, he had even walked randomly around town just trying to see if he could spot her, but came up empty. Texting Luke had been his final ditch effort. He had hoped Luke would say, _Hey, yeah, she's here at Riley's. Come on over!_ , it was ridiculous to hope for, but that didn't stop him from doing so. Instead, he got a message saying _Meeting at Riley's apartment._. Great, that was _real_ helpful.

Running his fingers through his hair, a nervous tick that had developed over the years, he started towards where Riley's apartment had been. Hopefully she hadn't moved. Not that it mattered, if Maya wasn't there he had no reason to be there and would leave soon after arriving. He had to find her, had to explain.

* * *

 _ **I am sitting here eating cookies because cookies are amazing. I think some of the characters deserve cookies, they've been going through a lot...  
**_

 _ **Anyway, I REALLY hope you guys liked this chapter enough to review. Reviews are what keep me going!**_

 _ **Until next time...**_

 _ **~LoveToRead404**_


	13. Crazyness or Answers

_**Hey, I'm back! I know I didn't update for a while and I'm terribly sorry for that. I made this chapter extra long, though. So hopefully that makes up for it. :)**_

 _ **Reviews:**_

 _ **CrazedAndConfusedFor5SOS said:**_ _You were right. My questions were right, but like every chapter I might have a few more. Josh and Maya? College? A brief description of their relationship would be nice. The curiosity is getting the better of me. For everyone else? I don't know. I hope their questions are answered. I hope when Maya is finally forced to see Micheal again that she will be 1000x worse than any of the girls combined. I hope that when she finally releases all that pent up frustration and furry it will be towards Micheal._

 _ **Reply: Okay, so it sounds like you're a bit upset with Michael? As far as questions, maybe you'll get a few answers in this chapter and the next. Maybe...**_

 _ **Guest said:**_ _I really hope Riley and Lucas end up together. But if they don't, please have Riley let Lucas down as gently as possible. I just love Lucas so much and he's so soft and deserves the world!_

 _ **Reply: I can't guarantee that Riley and Lucas will be end game. But, yeah, if they aren't, she'll let him down gently. I think it's really only fair. :)**_

 _ **So, this chapter's a bit crazy. Just a little warning! I was listening to the song Moondust by Jaymes Young while I wrote it. Not 5SOS, I know, but it's a good song. I hope you guys enjoy the chapter though. Also, I thought I'd do a quick chapter question: What is your favorite ice cream flavor? I haven't done a chapter question in a while but, I thought it'd be cool. So yeah, that's all for now! Until next time...**_

 _ **~LoveToRead404**_

* * *

The meeting in Riley's room had gone as well as could be expected. She had talked the girls into acting cool, at least until they could get the guys out of the apartment. Which really needed to be soon because Riley needed to go and patch things up with Lucas afterwards. She still felt awful about how she had treated him.

Coming out of her thoughts, Riley ushered the other girls into the living room. The girls were doing as promised and keeping calm. But maybe Riley should have taken a few minutes to herself to make sure she could stay calm, because walking into the living room, she was greeted with Michael. The same Michael that had shattered her best friends heart.

All control went out the window and Riley saw red. Before she could really consider what she was doing, Riley lunged at Michael, tackling him to the ground in front of the door. She was hitting any open area on his body that she could reach as she yelled and screamed things that she would later be slightly embarrassed about (even though he deserved it).

She was just about to knock his lights out when, suddenly there were multiple sets of arms around her, trying to pull her away. Her focus came off of Michael long enough to realize that it was Luke holding her back. That did absolutely nothing except fuel her rage. She kept wiggling and kicking until he let her loose. Rounding on Luke, Riley landed a punch to his chest and shot him a dirty glare before going over to Michael and slapping him one good time. It was hard enough to make her hand sting and to leave an outline of her and on his face.

" How dare you come back here" she seethed, before turning around to face the other three " How dare any of you come back! Do you know what we went through the first time you left? Do you know how hard it was on us?" She was making direct eye contact at Luke. The others knew this was no longer about them coming back, it was about Riley no longer being able to hold it all in.

" You left me! You made it seem like you loved me and then you left me!" she cried.

Riley felt like one of those psycho ex girlfriends that you would see in the movies, but she couldn't help herself. She couldn't be everyone's rock all of the time. She had held it in for as long as possible but now, these idiotic jerks deserved to know exactly how they had made her and the other girls feel. So Riley was going to let it out, she was going to let all of it out.

She turned to Michael " You knew Maya had been through a lot! You knew that she cared about you! But you didn't care, did you?! You just left, leaving behind a note because _that_ would make it so much easier for her! Not that you would know! You weren't here when she was a crying wreck! Calling out for you in her nightmares, crying herself to sleep, not eating! You weren't here for any of it! You left me to pick up the pieces!"

She turned to Luke "And _you_! How could you?! You made me love you and trust you! Then you just vanished in the middle of the night with no goodbye! You broke my heart!"

By this time, Riley was crying. Gloria and Sarah came around to hug her while the guys just sat there in silent shame. Michael was curled in on himself, looking seconds from crying. Luke had shock and hurt written plainly on his face. The other two were simply trying to hide in the couch.

"Riley -" Luke started, before he caught the glares of the other girls and went quiet. There was nothing he could say that would make this right. There was nothing he could do. He had found a beautiful and amazing girl to fall in love with, and then he had just left her. The realization hit him hard.

Turning around to leave, he said "Come on guys, we're leaving".

"You idiot!" Gloria shouted, startling everyone.

"What?" Luke stared blankly at her.

"Do you even realize what's going on here?! You broke her heart the first time you left, and now you're just going to leave her _again_?! Why, because she didn't just give you a smile and hug when you came back? Because this is actually harder than you thought it'd be?! Well guess what, _that's life_! It's _not_ easy and _not_ everything is going to go perfectly! But you are _not_ leaving again! You are going to _sit_ your ass down and _talk_ to her! _Now_!"

Everyone, including Riley, simply stared on in shock at Gloria's outburst. She wasn't exactly the kind of person to do that.

" I said sit! Now!" she yelled again, this time shoving Luke down onto the couch. She turned and guided Riley over to the other side of the couch. Shoving Ashton out of the way, she sat Riley down.

"The rest of you, come with me!" Gloria turned to walk down the hall. As she went, she shoved Sarah and Ash into Sarah's room and slammed the door. Not thinking it through, she shoved Michael into Maya's room alone, and slammed the door. Finally, she dragged Calum with her to her room, and slammed the door closed behind her.

/Luke/

The silence in the apartment is weird, but bearable. The silence between him and Riley however, was complete torture. One of the things he had loved about being with Riley had been how he could always talk to her, it went both ways. Now, though, they sat in complete silence other than the occasional sniffle from her. Finally, he broke.

" Riley, I am so sorry. I know that it doesn't make this any easier for you but, I really am sorry. I had no idea that it would hurt you that badly when I left. I thought it would just be easier on us both to not have to say good bye."

" What do you mean, you didn't know that it would hurt me? Did you think that I just didn't care for you?" she asked.

" No! No, that's not what I meant! I-" he stopped, the more he thought about it, the more he hated himself for what he put her through.

" What did you mean, then?"

" I don't know. I guess, I mean, I knew it would hurt you when I left. I knew you cared about me and I cared for you! I loved you! But...I guess I just wanted to cherish the good times we had, all the good memories. I didn't want to have to remember the good bye. It was selfish, I know that now."

"Yeah, it was a pretty dick move." she agreed, with a small smile.

Luke laughed quietly. "Yeah, yeah it was."

They were silent for a moment before Riley spoke, very quietly.

"I missed you"

" I missed you too" he whispered back.

She slid over to him for a hug. They sat like that for a good minute or so, relishing the feeling of being together again. When they pulled apart, Riley had a troubled look on her face.

"What is it?" he asked, concerned that he had screwed up again already.

" Nothing, it just, you know we can only be friends, right? I mean, I'm with Lucas now and -"

"Oh" he said. How was he to respond to that? He couldn't really be happy that she was with that Lucas guy. At the same time, he couldn't say anything about it either. He was the one that left, it was his fault they were together to begin with. For now, he guessed, he'd have to be okay with being friends, but that didn't mean that he could try to gradually win her heart back over time. He would win her back though, he had to.

" Luke?"

" Yeah?"

" Is that okay with you? That we just be friends? Because I really do want to be friends." Riley said, giving him her best puppy eyes. And oh, those were powerful.

" Yeah. Yeah, I- I can work with that." he smiled at her, pulling her in for another hug.

" For now" he whispered to himself.

/Ashton/

Ashton and Sarah are sitting in Sarah's room, on Sarah's bed, in silence. It was a very weird, awkward silence. Not that Ashton didn't have anything to say to Sarah. He had a million things he wanted to say, he just had no idea where to start, or how to start.

" Why'd you have to come back?" she asked quietly.

The question took him by surprise and stung like a thousand needles piercing his skin. The thought that she didn't want him here hurt, more than he could say.

" What do you mean?" he asked, scared of the answer.

" I mean, I was finally doing good. Work was going good, I was getting over you and moving on to someone else -"

"Who?!" he asked incredulously.

" None of your business" she said, her face revealing nothing.

" _Who_?!" he repeated, louder.

" I said it was none of your damn business!" she shouted back.

" It is my damn business if it concerns you!" he shouted back.

" You gave up the right to have a say in what I do when you left me here!" she yelled.

" That's not fair! I tried keeping in touch, I tried everything I could think of! _You're_ the one who stopped talking to _me_! I may have left, but _you're_ the one who gave up on us, _not_ me!" he threw at her.

They both went quiet after that, the silence easier than trying to talk. It stayed like that for a while, until he couldn't take it anymore.

" Why'd you stop? Why'd you stop talking to me, why'd you give up on us?" he asked, half afraid of the answer, but needing to know.

" Because it hurt, Ashton. You leaving hurt, the fact that I wasn't with you hurt. Hearing about all the things you were doing, the people you were meeting, hurt. In the beginning the letters helped to ease the pain I felt when you left, but after a while it started to hurt _more_ than if you would have just left. Instead of helping the pain, it only caused _more_ pain. The letters became reminders that you were gone, that it was ridiculous for me to think that someone like _you_ would actually _want_ to be with someone like _me_. That's why I stopped talking to you. It was easier than trying to keep my hopes up that you might actually come back one day." she explained, trying to keep the tears at bay.

Her words stung. He hadn't meant to hurt her more, he had thought that the letters would make the separation easier for them both. He couldn't believe how stupid he had been.

" I'm so sorry. I hadn't meant for it to hurt you. I had thought that would make the separation easier, but instead it only made it harder. I'm so, so sorry."

Looking up, Sarah stared in shock at his apology. " It's not your fault, you didn't know. You were trying to help."

" Yeah, and I did _such_ a _great_ job of _that_." he said sarcastically.

She gave him a small smile and leaned over to hug him. " I'm glad you're back."

/Calum/

Gloria looked ready to tear him a new one. Her face was red, her fists clenched, and her glare would cut through steel. It honestly scared Calum to be trapped in a room with her.

He had thought she had brung him here to talk, but at the moment the only person she was talking to was herself. She was pacing in front of the door, probably so Calum wouldn't try to escape, while mumbling to herself like some crazy woman. He had started to say something about it, but he cared to much about his own well being to do so. Instead, he simply sat there on the bed and let her do her own thing. Suddenly, the pacing stopped and she turned to him.

" I will have you know, I am an independent woman who doesn't need a man to make her happy! I can take care of myself! I don't need you!" She exclaimed.

" Okay?" he honestly didn't know what this was about, or how to respond.

" I am happy being single, being me, without you! I won't have you come in here, acting like everything is good and great in the word only to leave again! I won't have my heart broken again! I won't fall for your stupid caring act again! I don't care how long you stay, or how much you miss me! You stay away from me! Or I swear to everything holy, I will beat your ass and not think twice!"

Seemingly satisfied with herself, she turned to the mini fridge beside her desk. Opening it, she grabbed a container of cookie dough ice cream. She plopped down in her chair, legs crossed, and grumpily ate her ice cream. It was honestly the funniest thing Calum had ever seen, not that he would tell her. She was mad enough at him right now, and he understood why. He didn't understand why she was acting so crazy, but he guessed she was just really upset. He understood that, he understood all the things she said too, but he also knew that he would get her back. In time.

/ Michael/

Being in Maya's room alone was weird. It was different than he remembered, a lot messier. It was also very dark. The curtains were closed over the window. Walking over to open them, he was greeted with blinding sunlight.

He turned back, to go sit down on the bed when the flashback hit him. He had come here so upset, she had brung him to her room and talked to him, comforted him. They had slept together. They hadn't done anything sexual, but it was still a memorable night for him. Waking up that next morning, cuddled up with her, was one of the best moments in his life. The way she made him feel, he didn't know how to describe it.

The flashback ended and he caught sight of a piece of paper on her bed. The letter. His letter. It had been so long now, he barely remembered what it said. He had figured that she had probably thrown it away. Apparently not. He wondered what that meant.

/Josh/

Love was an amazing thing, at least that's what Josh's mom used to tell him. He had never really known for himself, he had never been in love before.

He may be wrong, but he was pretty sure what he felt for Maya was love. He was pretty sure what they had was love. The thought made him smile. He wondered if Maya loved him back...

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 _ **Alright, that's the chapter! Was it any good? Let me know in the reviews, I thrive off those. I also draw inspiration from them so be sure to let me know if you guys have any thoughts about whats going down in the girls lives. Next chapter, I was thinking about focusing more on Maya and Josh and what they're up to. See you then!  
**_

 **:)**


	14. Sweet Moments or College Days

_**I felt bad about not updating in a little while so, to make up for it, here's an update on what's happening in the world of Ms. Maya Heart! ;)**_

 _ **Reviews:**_

 _ **CrazedAndConfusedFor5SOS said:**_ _ **I didn't realize I needed this chapter until I saw you made a post. This chapter did answer some questions I had and it made me happy to see Riley have an outburst. She was always everyone's rock and I'm glad to see that when she needed someone to be her rock she got one.**_

 _ **Reply: Yeah, Riley deserves to have someone to lean on. I was writing last time and I don't know why but, I just really wanted Riley to just lay it on them. I think I just like seeing her go crazy every once in a while lol.**_

 _ **Enjoy the chapter! Review if you like it, if you don't then let me know how I can improve! Thanks!**_

 _ **~LoveToRead404**_

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Maya could not keep the smile off her face, no matter how hard she tried. It was early afternoon, her mom and Shawn were both gone off to work. After waking up with Josh, they had laid around for a long while, neither of them wanting to leave. Now, though, Josh was taking a shower and she was attempting to cook them breakfast.

If she were being honest, her cooking probably wasn't the best idea. She hardly ever cooked anything seeing as Riley and her mostly ate take out, plus she just generally sucked at cooking. Looking around the cabin, she found what she needed to make mac n cheese, the one thing she _rocked_ at making. She started the noodles before walking over to the living room to turn on the stereo.

Swaying her hips to the music, Maya went back to the kitchen and started setting her and Josh's places at the counter. When that was done, she went to check the noodles. She hadn't realized she was still moving to the beat until she felt hands on her waist. She stopped moving and, as she felt lips on her neck, let her head fall back against a muscled chest.

She hummed contently and he chuckled. " What are you making?" he whispered in her ear.

It took a moment for her brain to start working again. " Mac-n-cheese"

" Sounds good" she felt him smile as he rested his head on her shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her waist and she felt safe and happy. It was such a nice feeling. She wanted to stay here, with Josh, forever.

A while later, after Maya and Josh had finished eating and cleaning up the kitchen, they were laying down on the couch in the living room. Well, Josh was laying on the couch, Maya was laying on top of Josh.

They weren't really doing anything except enjoying each other's company. Josh was running his fingers through her hair and she was about to fall back asleep because it felt so good.

" Remember the first time we ran into each other at college?" he asked randomly.

" Yeah, why?"

" God, I hadn't even recognized you. You were so different from when you were younger and good lord, you were stunning."

" The first time you saw me I was wearing yoga pants and a tank top." she said incredulously.

" I have never appreciated yoga pants so much in my life" he joked.

Maya smacked his chest for the comment but smiled all the same. She remembered college days with him vividly.

" Remember when we were going through one of our dating phases and I saw you across the lawn with that other chick? I completely lost it on you, right in front of everyone." she laughed.

" Ha! Yeah, man, I don't even remember her name now. But I remember how scared she looked when you came at us like that. You looked so pissed!" he exclaimed.

" I was! I thought you were cheating on me!" she defended herself.

" I'd be an idiot to do that. I would never cheat or leave you" he said, leaning up to give Maya a peck on the lips.

When he pulled away, he was smiling. She wasn't. She didn't understand why he had to bring that up right now. They had been having a moment and he had to bring _him_ into it.

Maya pushed away from Josh in frustration and went upstairs to her room. She shut the door before he could follow her. She made her way t the bed and curled up. The tears were already pricking the back of her eyes but she refused to cry. Instead, she just lay there staring out a window.

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 _ **Short and well, mostly sweet ;)  
**_

 _ **Thanks for reading, leave a review to let me know what you think!**_


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